The Value of Cliches
by TheVioletContradiction
Summary: When Alice gets kidnapped on a hunting trip, she meets someone who turns her family's whole life upside-down. Everything they thought they knew about the world they live in is a lie. Who could have such an effect on them? Meet Violet; Alice and Jasper's daughter. AU Alice/Jasper with Em/R, Car/Esm, and Ed/Bella in there as well. As always, there's no swearing.
1. Disrupting Eden

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer, credit for anything recognizable goes to her.**

**Alice POV:**

"Jazz, I have to go..." I reluctantly pulled away from my husband as he continued to pepper my face and neck with kisses. "I need to hunt..." I so did not want to go hunt.

"Do you really _need _to?" He persuaded "You _could_ stay here with me..." Waves of emotion swept over me, reinforcing his point and making me much less eager to go hunt the unappetizing deer that I had seen would be my meal.

I moaned. "Stop that. Yes. I need to hunt. Today. I've already told you this."

I felt him grin against my neck. "Really?"

I gasped as he kissed me again, slowly, deeply, and _very _persuasively. "Yes." I told him as soon as my lips were free. "Really." I worked to make my tone sound confident.

"You're emotions say differently." He teased, his eyes glittering mischievously as he looked down at me. I giggled, lightly smacking him.

"Well, what I want and what I need are often two very different things." I informed him. "For example, right now I need to hunt if I want the humans in my classes tomorrow to survive the day."

He sighed melodramatically and pouted, but I could tell by the hint of a smile hovering around his lips that he wasn't actually that put out. I chuckled at his puppy face and gave him one last peck before darting to the door. I glanced back to see him lounging against the backboard of our bed, his jean-clad legs crossed with just the tip of his cowboy boots peeking out. He grinned at me. "Well, if y're just gonna stand there and stare, ya might as well have stayed over here, so I could keep kissin' ya."

I lauged. "I love you." I told him.

"Love you too, Lissy." Even without him saying it, I knew. Our love for each other showed through our every action and words were just redundant. He didn't have to tell me he loved me, because I could see his love shining through to me from his very soul. Nevertheless, sometimes I said it just because I could. Hey, you would too after searching for three decades with your love constantly just out of your reach. Granted, we had now been together now for more than sixty years, but my feelings for him would never fade away. So I would never, ever get tired of saying it.

He winked at me. "If ya keep standing there much longer, then I'm just gonna have to come over there and start kissin' ya again. You know I don't have the best self-control and I'm startin' to feel mighty tempted watchin' ya in those shorts." I glanced down at my new short-shorts. I had just gotten them on a shopping spree in New York and, personally, I felt that they were adorable.

"You like these do you? I thought you might."

"Why yes, as a matter of fact, I do." He pushed himself away from the bed and started towards me.

Giggling, I blew him a kiss and darted down the stairs. "I'm going to hunt!" I called to Carlisle and Esme, who were sitting in the living room, snuggling on the couch as they watched a movie.

"Mmmkay..." Esme sighed as she stared up at Carlisle with goo-goo eyes.

"Be careful." Carlisle was just as preoccupied with his wife as she was with him.

"You're going to hurt that poor movie's feelings, sitting there totally ignoring it," I joked. "Look how hard it's trying to entertain you!" Edward laughed as he walked through the door, probably from stalking the human girl he was so infatuated with. Bella was her name. I had been so excited when they had finally had their first date in Port Angeles. He glared at me. _What?_ I thought innocently. _It was almost a date. You took her to a nice restaraunt and had dinner, didn't you?_

"Yes, after she had nearly been attacked by those thugs."

_You still went, and were together, and talked. And now she's figured out you're a vampire, so you have no reason not to be together. _I beamed at the picture I had in my head of our family's future._ See, look. Isn't that nice?_

"But we're not dating."

_Yet._

"Yet." He agreed, to my suprise.

_Yet?! So you really _are_ going to stop being so stubborn about this?! Oh, Edward this is wonderful! _I squealed out loud. _Can I plan your wedding?_

"Alice, I haven't even taken her on a date yet!" Edward looked like he couldn't quite decide whether he was scandalized by my assumption or entertained by my persistence.

_Yes, you have. In Port Angeles. We've gone over this, remember?_

"I didn't actually give her much of a choice; it doesn't count," he argued.

_Details._

Edward groaned and turned to look to the top of the stairs where Jasper was standing, looking very amused by our conversation. "Control your wife's enthusiasm please."

Jasper appraised me, one eyebrow raised. "I dunno, Ed. I'm pretty sure that's an impossible feat."

I giggled and beamed up at him, nodding. "Yup."

"Don't call me 'Ed.'" Edward grumbled. Esme finally tore her gaze from her husband and looked over at his words, seeming slightly confused. "Are you all still here?"

I grinned. "Nope." _I am so calling dibs on planning your wedding, Edward. It is now official. _"Bye Jazz!" I called sweetly.

"Alice!" Edward's annoyed shout followed me out the door and down the back steps. As I gracefully leapt over the river, I could hear Jasper's deep chuckle as Edward continued to bemoan my awesome personality.

I was so happy that he was finally starting to become more comfortable with the relaxed atmosphere of our family. It took him decades to even get comfortable joking around with _me_. Not that it was his fault, of course. Life with Maria had taught him to overanalyze everything and _never_ insult a lady, even in jest. With Maria, he had had to watch his every word and action, playing life by her rules, which often contradicted each other and rarely made any sense. He had constantly tried to live up to her twisted sense of perfection, practically becoming a slave to her every whim. It was so sad to think about what his time with her had done to him; it made me wish that I had been able to find him sooner, even though I had done my very best to get to him without delay.

But now he was relaxing and having fun. I was slowly starting to see more and more of his smile, his laugh, previously reserved only for me, shared with the rest of our family. I loved watching him have discussions with Edward and have wrestling matches with Emmett. I loved watching his connection with Rosalie (which they claimed was a twin thing) grow as they bonded over their difficult pasts. I loved watching him strive to be worthy of Carlise's pride and bask in the warm glow of Esme's love.

And I especially loved it when he let himself fully relax with me, when we speant hours on end laughing and talking, playing games together, or even just sitting side-by-side, content simply to be near each other.

This, here and now, was my paradise, my Garden of Eden where happiness was abundant and life was perfect.

There was nothing in the world that I could think of that could possibly make my life better.

I sighed contentedly, then grinned devilishly. Faster than the human eye could comprehend, I was off like a shot, running like I could never tire. And, guess what? I couldn't! I giggled just at the pure pleasure of the pumping of my feet, delighting in the feel of the wind rustling through my short hair. The world blurred into a paradoxical juxtaposition of the sharp definition of the objects around me and the speed at which things flew past me. I could take in everything in less than a second: the sound of the creek to my right, the pattern of the trees to my left, the dance of little rabbitts as they flew away from my approach, even the tiny caterpillar on the leaf above my head. But it all flew by in the snap of the finger, the shortest tenth of a second. The contrast was amazing. Edward may be faster, but out of all of us, I love running the most.

I kept running just for the heck of it for a while before finally slowing down and turning to find my meal. I quickly searched through my immediate future in my head. It didn't look like I would have any problems; there was a herd of deer in the meadow just beyond those trees.

I shifted into a crouch and let my senses take over my more civilized nature. Silently, I slipped up into the nearest tree and made my way, branch to branch, to the edge of the clearing. The sounds around me became more defined as I focused in on the deer closest to me; its heart pounding, calling me in closer. My eyes shot around, taking in all possible escape routes along with the position of each deer. I let the fairly unappetizing scent draw me closer and closer. Then, I attacked.

The poor thing never had a chance. As the rest of the herd took off, I swiftly broke its neck and leaned in to place my lips over its aortic vein. My teeth slid through the skin, cutting easily through muscle and tissue as I latched on to my lifesource. Greedily, I sucked the warm, pulsing liquid in huge gulps, relishing in the cooling of the blaze in the back of my throat. It really had been too long since I'd last hunted. As soon as I finished with that one, I took off again after the heard. I ended up draining two more before I was finally full.

As I lifted my head from the last one, I caught a faint scent in the air: vampire. My nostrils immediately widened in shock, my every sense going into even higher alert than they had been in. I glanced quickly through my near future. Not seeing anything threatening, I leaned in closer to smell it again. It wasn't a scent that I knew.

Call me paranoid if you must, but years of living with a former newborn army general had made me a bit leery about meeting strangers all by myself in the middle of the woods where nobody was around. I glanced around uneasily, taking in little details that I had missed in my frenzy for blood. The brush by the stream to my right had been flattened. The ferns and underbrush were looking slightly trampled. There were broken twigs hanging off of trees. Subtle signs, to be sure, but I was getting more and more certain that someone had been there.

To my left, a branch snapped.

I looked up to see a pair of bright red eyes staring back at me.

Instantly, I was on my feet, running in the opposite direction. My breath started to come in gasps as I began to panic; whoever it was was barreling through the forest right behind me. And he had friends. I could hear them on every side, coming in to give my mysterious stalker some backup. I swerved suddenly and ran in a path diagonal to the one I had been taking, trying to get back home. I was still ahead for now, but they were closing in fast.

My legs pumped as I flew through the forest faster than I had ever run before. Was it really only a few hours ago that I had found running enjoyable? Now it seemed hideous to me. This feeling of panic, of being hunted was suffocating me, slowing me down. I fought against it as hard as I could as I came into what Emmett had dubbed the baseball clearing. I skidded to a stop in the middle of the field.

There were more vampires on the other side, leering at me as they started to close in.

I spun around as fresh terror set in. Behind me and on either side were the ones that had been following me. I belatedly realized that they hadn't been following me at all. They had been herding me. I searched my surroundings desperately for a way out as the horrible truth set in.

I was surrounded by hostile vampires.

Well, I wasn't going to go down without a fight. As the first one, the one who had originally been chasing me, reached me, I tried to remember through the paralyzing fear the fighting lessons Jasper had given me. I lashed out at him, hissing. Quicker than I could comprehend, he had ducked under my arm and pulled me into a headlock. Thrashing against him in terror, I felt a spot of pressure behind my ear and cried out.

All I could process was pain, terrible pain.

And then my world went black.

**A/N: Hate to ruin the moment, so I'm just going to make this quick. Review, be nice (I like constructive criticism, but don't be mean about it, please), and I've got two other oneshots on my profile that you have a deep longing to go check out. One is called Start of Something Good and it's about early moments in the Cullen relationships. The other is called Stupid Homework in which Alice hates Chemistry. Oh, I guess that kinda was a long author's note, wasn't it? Oh well :) Thank you to everyone who has reviewed my other two stories!**


	2. Fear

**Disclaimer: I am still not Stephanie Meyer, all credit for anything recognizable goes to her.**

I awoke to the sound of raucous laughter, my head pounding as I struggled to open my eyes.

_Where am I?! What's going on? Where's Jasper!? He's going to be so worried..._

As the musky smell of smoke drifted over me, the crackling of a fire registered from somewhere on my right. I finally peeled my eyes back as a particularly loud roar of mirth followed a lewd joke; I flinched at the sound.

"Well, lookie here! Little Miss High-and-Mighty is finally awake!"

"Took you long enough, Girly."

I flinched as one of them grabbed the back of my neck and dragged me up so that I was standing in front of them. Finally, I had a clear view of where I was. A roaring fire was directly in front of me, a wild boar roasting above it. Roughly ten men were in the little clearing. Some of them were distinctly vampire, which I had been expecting. What I hadn't been expecting was that the majority of them looked nothing like a vampire at all, including the one that held me now. I winced as he tightened his grip on me. I had thought that there was nothing on earth as powerful as a vampire, nothing that could hurt one. Apparently, I had been wrong.

"We was begginin' ta think you'd never wake up, wasn't we boys? An' tha' woulda been such a shame." The men all nodded in agreement, their eyes glinting evilly. I glanced around cautiously. Why on earth would they care about my well-being? They had just kidnapped me, for crying out loud!

"Wha-what?" I grimaced, annoyed with myself for letting my voice shake.

"Oh, yeah. We was gettin' _real_ concerned, wasn't we?" There were general murmers of agreement, but they sounded a tad off. Smirks and sly, secret glances were exchanged around the circle. It was like they were all in on some private joke that I was missing out on. I mean, come on. As far as I knew, kidnappers in general were _not _friendly. And the man's tight grip on the back of my neck definitely not feeling very concerned.

"Ya see, doll," he continued, "we was really lookin' forward ta gettin' ta know ya a bit, if ya catch my drift." His hand came up to stroke my face in a caress. "An' we woulda been _very_ put out if we hadn't gotten ta spend a little time with ya." I nearly gagged as his free hand moved from my neck to my hip, squeezing me tighter to him.

Harsh laughter grated on my ears as I squirmed to get away.

"I don' think so, babe." His mouth hovered next to my ear as he playfully whispered into it, "Ya see, I'm not quite finished with ya yet." I turned my head toward him, trying to figure out what he was going to do. Almost faster than I could comprehend, one of his hands was grabbing my chin, pulling my mouth closer to him as his lips roughly shoved against mine. His other hand started to roam across my body as casually as if I belonged to him, as if I were merely a toy that he owned for the express purpose of his entertainment, destined for the trash as soon as he was finished with it.

I knew that things like this happened in real life. Heaven knows I'd heard Rosalie's story enough times. I just never thought that it would happen to me. Terrified, I tried to pull away before it could go any farther. He was too strong. I tried to push him away, hit him, kick him, anything that would make him stop, but he just lazily - and briefly - pulled away for long enough to nod at two of his cronies before continuing to have his way with me. Apparently, this was a signal, because they came up behind me and held down my arms.

Wolf-whistles and cat-calls sounded from the other men seated around the fire, watching us like the destruction of my pride was the world's most enthralling entertainment.

A ripping sound brought my attention back to my immediate predicament and I panicked further as I realized that it was the sound of my shirt being torn. Desperately, I redoubled my efforts to repell him. It was in vain, they were too strong. So I did the only thing that I could think of; I bit down. _Hard._

He broke away from me swearing, his hand - thankfully - coming off my body to cover the blood gushing down his lip. I curled as far away from him as I could before realizing that it only brought me closer to the two that were still holding me and that they would treat me no better.

There was a general uproar throughout the clearing. Some were joshing the guy for picking "a girl he couldn't control." A few were laughing uproariously. But what chilled me to the bone was that the rest of them were calling dibs on who got me next.

I expected him to start yelling at me. I expected him to pitch a fit and storm around the clearing, furious that I had prevented him from getting exactly what he wanted. A thrill of terror shot through me as he slowly looked up.

"Y're gonna pay for that, Missy." His voice was quiet and slow; it terrified me even more than it would have if he had shouted.

He started back toward me, intent on finishing what he had begun.

"Enough."

The quiet word stopped the chaos. A deadly silence filled the small space as every head turned simultaneously toward the voice that had spoken.

He wasn't a big man; his strength was more subtle, depending on understated - but very real - muscle. He was sprawled, in a calculatedly lazy look, across a low tree branch, one leg straight along the limb, the other curled up so he could lay his arm across it. The stetson pulled low over his eyes matched the hint of a Southern accent adorning his voice. Comparing him to some of the more burly men around the fire, one wouldn't think that he was the leader just by looking at him. But he gave off an aura of unquestionable authority.

"Women will not be treated in such a way in my camp."

"Aww, shucks, Will. We was just havin' some fun with 'er." One of the more courageous - or stupid, I'm not quite sure which - men spoke up.

"I don't care what you do with her, but there will be no raping of anyone on public display while I am in charge. Give her dignity that much at least; do it in private, when nobody's there to watch her humiliation." Most of them hung their heads a little, grudgingly accepting of his rebuke.

The man who'd been kissing me just stood there glaring at me, a little trail of blood trickling from his lip down to his chin.

Will's next comment was adressed to the whole group, but specifically directed at him, a hint of danger darkening his tone. "Understood?"

General sounds of consent spread throughout the group.

"Jared?"

The man - Jared, apparently - finally tore his eyes away from me, glaring at his leader before ducking his head in submission.

"Understood, Will."

"Good." He turned away to stare back into the forest, apparently finished with the conversation. Slowly, the men started to talk again, chatting and debating about new things as their interest turned away from me.

Jared walked back over to me, grabbing my arm in a vice-like grip and tugging me over to the edge of the clearing, where a chain was attached to a tree. Throwing me down next to it, he clasped it around my ankle. Then he reached down to stroke my cheek softly, whispering to me in a deadly voice:

"I don't know who you think you are, and I don't care. But _nobody_ gets away with making me look like a fool. You will pay, princess." I shuddered away from his lips as he reached to kiss me again. The stroking hand turned violent quickly, slapping me hard across my face. I gasped at the sting. I saw the determinedly vicious glint in his eye as he forced my chin towards him.

Once again, his lips imposed themselves onto mine, his tongue shoving its way into my mouth as I whimpered. He pulled back, smirking at me.

"Just ta give ya a little taste of what's gonna happen tonight."

I shuddered at the thought.

The rest of the day passed in a haze of terror. I'd tried to break the chain holding me to the tree; all it had accomplished was making my ankle hurt. All I could do was sit there and wait for him to come and finish what he'd started. Questions and worries circled through my head.

_Why me? What's going on? Why can't I break this stupid chain? Where's Jasper? I wonder what he's doing right now. He's probably going crazy with worry right now. Oh, I wish he were here._

My dread grew exponentially as the sun went down and the shadows lengthened across the ground. When it got dark enough, Jared stood up. I scooted back toward the tree, trying to make myself as small and insignificant looking as possible. It didn't work.

"I'll be back for ya in a bit, doll. I've just gotta go hunt first. Y'll like that, won'tcha darlin'? Then I'll be nice and strong when I get back." I heard the distinct threat in his voice as I sat, curled up and shivering, in my place by the tree. My panic and desperation grew as I watched him leave with four others. As soon as he came back...

"Psst."

I glanced around, startled. I'd been so caught up in a haze of worry that I had been completely ignoring my surroundings.

"_Psst._ Alice."

As subtly as I could, I glanced behind me. To my suprise, I saw a girl crouching in the undergrowth.

"I need you to listen to me and I need you to obey instantly if I ask you to do something, okay?" She whispered urgently.

I nodded dumbly, my brain unable to comprehend what my eyes were telling me they saw. Why was a random girl hiding in the bushes talking to me?

"Alright. I'm going to try to get you out of here, okay?" she hissed. "And I need you to be absolutely silent." I nodded my head.

"Turn to face the fire."

I did as I was told, straining my ears for some idea of what she was going to do. I didn't hear anything, but suddenly my ankle was free and her hand was over my mouth.

"Alright, now we are going to slowly back up into the forest, and then we are going to stand up and run. And we are going to do this all silently." Her hushed voice blended in perfectly with the night air; if I hadn't have been listening for it, I would have missed it all together. She released my mouth and slowly, carefully, tugged me backwards.

We made it to the forest and carefully stood up.

"Come on."

We took off silently, running north. My mind was still freaking out, trying to comprehend that I was being rescued as I attempted to think through the paralyzing fear. It wasn't working to well. I kept getting a paranoid feeling that that man - Jared - was going to get me again. And I couldn't deal with it.

All of a sudden, we heard their rough voices shouting to each other.

"WHERE'D SHE GO!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"I'M GONNA KILL HER!"

I whimpered, my panic going into overdrive.

"Crap." The girl's voice startled me. She glanced around, seeming to take in everything in a single glance. "Follow me, run!" We turned left and sprinted through the darkness. I gasped as frigid water splashed up my legs. The girl didn't even flinch. "Come on!" She called.

I followed her, running as fast as I could through the stream. She made it to a wall of rock on the other side and stood beneath it, waiting for me.

"Alright, listen up. I am going to boost you up. You are going to hide in a cave at the top of the rocks. I am going to lead them away. When we are out of earshot, you are going to run in," she spun me around and pointed "_that_ direction until you make it to safety. Do you understand?" She looked concerned that I couldn't comprehend her simple instructions. It would have been insulting, except that I was having trouble understanding anything through the desperate terror that was taking over my brain.

I shuddered as the shouts of the men grew louder and stared fearfully in the direction they were coming from.

"Alice." She snapped her fingers in front of my face. I looked back at her.

"When do you run, Alice?" she asked me.

"Umm..." I tried to think through my panic. "When I can't hear you anymore?"

"Good." She said. "And which way do you run?"

Silently, I pointed in the same direction that she had.

"Good." She looked vaguely relieved. "Look at me Alice." I looked. "Remember that. Keep telling it to yourself in your head." I nodded.

She gave me a boost as I clambered up the rocks into a small cave. Really it was more like a shelf in the rock, just a little crawl space. It was a good thing I was so small.

As the sound of the men's voices came closer, I shut my eyes and pressed my face into the floor of the cave. Desperately, I tried to see something - anything - good in my future to give me a shred of hope that this would come out alright; all I could see was black. Me fear level spiked again as I belatedly realized that I hadn't been able to see anything since I'd run from Jared's glowing red eyes after my hunt.

I waited with bated breath as the voices came closer...closer...so close now, so terrifyingly close...now they were right outside the mouth of the cave.

"I can't find the scent!"

"Well, look for her trail, then, idiot!"

A crashing sound sound came from the distance, like someone had tripped over a tree root.

"Look!"

"Where!?"

"Over there! Do you see it!?"

"Is that...?"

"It is! It's that Whitlock girl!"

"After her!"

"But what about...?"

"Who cares about the other one? Don't you know what kind of money is being offered as a reward if we bring her in?!"

I slowly let out my breath as the voices got farther and farther away. Carefully, I peeked my head out of the cave and looked around.

Silence.

Nobody was there.

I tried to think logically through my dread of being found. I was supposed to do something when I couldn't hear the voices anymore. I was supposed to run, that's what the girl had said. Which way? I spun around helplessly. _Think, Alice!__ Come on, what did she say!?"_ She didn't say, I realized. She pointed. She pointed... I spun around again, desperately searching my memory.

_That way!_

If I were human, I would have cried in relief. Instantly, I took off running as fast as I could. The world blurred around me into one nameless terror as I sprinted away from my captors, my situation, my fear. As I checked over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me, I ran right into a pair of arms.

I screamed.

**A/N: Hey guys :) So...what'd ya think? Who did she run into?**

**Please review!**


	3. Hi Dad

**Disclaimer: I am not Stephanie Meyer.**

_Previously: (Alice POV)_

_The world blurred around me into one nameless terror as I sprinted away from my captors, my situation, my fear. As I checked over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me, I ran right into a pair of arms._

_I screamed._

**Jasper POV:**

It's not that I was unduly concerned. Alice needed to hunt. She did not need me to baby her and follow her every footstep. She was a big girl who could take care of herself for an hour or two; she had, after all - not to seem arrogant or anything, but it's true - learned from the best. I had done everything I could to teach her self-defense so that she would be safe even when I couldn't protect her.

So I was not unduly worried when an hour passed and she wasn't back yet. After two hours I started to expect her return, shrugging it off as desire for some alone time when she didn't show up.

Three hours later, and I started to worry, ignoring my brothers as they teased me for my overprotectiveness.

Four hours. I was _very _concerned.

Five and a half hours.

I was about ready to send out a search party.

I don't care what Edward says, it does _not _take five and a half hours to hunt.

Six hours.

The rest of my family was also starting to get concerned.

I decided that enough was enough. I was going to go look for her. My brothers stood up to join me when I announced my plan; they loved Alice too, each in their own ways. Carlisle and Esme stayed at the house in case she came back while we were gone and to call Rosalie to have her come home from her shopping trip. Making sure we all had our cell phones, Edward, Emmett, and I all headed off, following Alice's scent until we reached the remains of her dinner.

"Well, at least we know she's well fed, wherever she is."

Trust Emmett to joke about something like this.

I rolled my eyes at him and then froze, my body automatically tensing up; I had just caught the distinct scent of another vampire. It was hours old and, for some reason, very familiar. I didn't let myself dwell on it for too long. I knew that I had a tendency to overanalyze, and right now it would not help the situation.

All of our heads snapped up as we heard the sound of distant voices shouting at one another. We stood silently, listening intently to their barely audible conversation. Something about a lost scent...they were angry... they found something...then something that made my blood run cold:

"Is that...?"

"It is! It's that Whitlock girl!"

"After her!"

"But what about...?"

"Who cares about the other one? Don't you know what kind of money is being offered as a reward if we bring her in?!"

That Whitlock girl. _Alice_. My eyes widened in horror as my brothers and I looked at each other. They were after Alice!

As one we immediately took off towards the voices. The beautiful colors of the forest surrounding me dulled into a disinteresting hodgepodge of color in the face of my worry. As I sprinted as fast as I possibly could, I let my senses analyze the world around me, feeling for the emotion of any sentient creature within a ten mile radius.

Panic.

Terror.

Desperation.

Relief.

Fear.

The emotions crashed into me like a tidal wave, disarming me momentarily before I picked up the familiar underlying character traits of the vampire speeding towards us. I would know those feelings anywhere.

_Alice_.

Instantly I changed my course to intersect with hers, pushing myself even faster. Finally, I reached a clearing, pausing and waiting for her to run the last twenty yards or so. My brothers' confusion dissipated as they spotted her a couple of seconds after I did. I felt concern radiating off of Edward;I assumed that he was not picking up very pleasant thoughts. She hadn't noticed us yet, she was looking over her shoulder in fear as she slammed into my waiting arms.

Instantly I felt the fear triple as she screamed, fighting desperately to get away from me.

"Let me go!"

"Alice!" I sent out waves of calm as I tried to soothe her.

At the sound of her name she stopped struggling against me, looking up to my face in disbelief.

"J-Jasper?"

She sounded like she didn't quite believe that I was here. And no wonder; her emotions were chaotic, flipping from one to another too fast for me to keep up. She reminded me of a newborn, volatile and unstable. I would have to proceed very carefully, though it was hard to think rationally through the need to make sure that she was alright that was pounding through me.

She stared at me, face torn, her emotions wavering between paralyzing fear and tentative hope.

Forcing myself to push out another wave of calm, I smiled down at her. "Hey, Lissy." I greeted her quietly.

That seemed to do it. Something in her snapped and all I could register was the utter relief on her face before she flung herself back into my arms.

"Jasper!"

She sounded like she would have been crying if she could. I felt her body shaking as she sobbed tearlessly against me. Her frayed emotions welcomed the peace I brought; she seemed to want to drown out what she was feeling, substituting her own emotions for my much less painful version.

Vaguely I heard Edward tell Emmett to go make sure that no one hostile was coming toward us, intent on our demise. I barely had the presence of mind to hiss "_Carefully!_" at his retreating back before returning my full attention to the gorgeous woman in my arms.

I made soothing noises toward Alice and rubbed her lower back, simultaneously shooting a frantic glance at Edward.

_What the heck is wrong with her! _I mentally screamed at him. Well, actually, I wasn't quite as nice about it, but you get the point.

He shrugged at me. "Her thoughts are all confused," he hissed back. "I can't make heads nor tails out of them. Something about...a camp? The name Jared..."

Her fear levels spiked again and I felt her curl impossibly closer to me, whimpering slightly.

"...seems to be coming up a lot..." he finished, glancing at her worriedly. I understood where he was coming from. I had no idea how much would be too much for my pixie - how much would hurt her even more.

_Do you hear anything _helpful_? Anything at all?_ I snapped at him irritably. I really would have to make it up to dear Eddie for being so rude. Later. When Alice was safe and I was calmer.

He glowered at me slightly. "Don't call me Eddie."

A brief flash of amusement sparked through my lovely wife, still curled against my chest as she let out a small - albiet slightly hysterical - giggle. Hey, I'd take what I could get. Glancing down, I was relieved to see her looking up at me, the ghost of her laugh still lingering on her lips. I sighed in relief.

"Lissy..." I trailed off, not needing any more words. I could see her love for me in her eyes. I was positive she could see mine in return.

Pulling her closer to me by her hips, I brought my free hand up to gently turn her chin towards me, leaning down to kiss her. She trembled slightly against me.

All of a sudden I was swept away in the chatoic turbulence of her emotions.

Love.

Disgust.

Happiness.

Horror.

Want.

Pain.

Shame.

I pulled back, confused as she squirmed slightly to get away - to get away from me. I couldn't help but feel a little hurt as I gave her a confused stare. Her shame and guilt intensified painfully as she shuffled slightly farther away. Why? Didn't she want me? Edward's gasp filled the clearing. He stared at Alice with horrorstruck eyes.

"Oh, Alice..." He reached to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. Instantly she was back in my arms. I was even more confused, but I obliged, pulling her into a hug and trying to exude as much love and comfort as I could.

Edward bit his lip. "Sorry."

"What's with her?" Emmett was back, looking slightly distracted.

"I don't know!" I didn't realize that my voice was so loud as I all but growled at him until Alice flinched in my arms. "Sorry, darlin'." I apologized in a much gentler tone of voice. I didn't know what she'd been through. I could be patient until she explained. I would be gentle if that's what she needed.

"He raped her." Edward sounded stunned.

"_WHAT!?" _Emmett and I both yelled, furious. I would _murder_ whoever did this to her! The thought of some scoundrel with his hands all over _my _wife made my vision take on an odd red tint.

Alice flinched again, then pulled herself away from me just enough to see my face. She was torn between ceaseless guilt - what did she have to feel guilty about? I would have to ask her later, when I was more in control of myself - and frantic denial. She opened her mouth to talk, but it seemed as if the words got stuck in her throat and she closed it again, helplessly breaking our eye contact to look back at Edward.

"He was _going_ to rape her," he corrected himself. A shade of relief mellowed my anger and allowed me to think rationally again before I realized that he was still just as furious as Emmett and I had been a few seconds ago. My jaw clenched.

"And." I spit it out, not even having the control to make it sound like a question.

"He kissed her. Throuroughly. You scared her because you were about to kiss her very similarly to how he did - except, of course, without the intent of hurting her."

"_Who_." My voice darkened as rage washed through me. Alice shivered in my arms, her guilt growing exponentially. I looked back at her, torn.

I wanted - _so badly -_ to hunt down whoever had hurt my beautiful wife and slowly, torturously, rip him into teeny, tiny shreds. Then burn each individual shred. Seperately. And slowly.

But I needed her to be safe and happy, and that could not happen in this clearing.

I wavered for a tenth of a second before making my desicion. Alice looked up at me, her eyes huge and frightened, and that was all it took.

"Let's get you home."

I held onto her as we ran, Edward in front, Emmett guarding us from behind. I rubbed my hand up and down her arm and sent my love to her. She was still shaken, but I was relieved to see her send a brief smile in her direction.

We burst into our backyard, leaping over the river without even glancing at it. The lights flooded through the window to the living room, where I could see Esme pacing frantically. Carlisle stood, trying to calm her, although he felt anything but calm. Esme's worried face came into view as she turned towards us in the steady, circular pattern of her march around our living room. Relief filled her, crashing into me even from thirty feet away.

"Oh, Alice!"

"Finally," Rosalie grumbled from her position on the couch. She feigned boredom, but I could see the intense relief that her sister was alright that was hidden behind the facade.

Alice pulled herself into me, the panic coming back as she was suddenly surrounded by people. Edward noticed and instantly started explaining to Carlisle, Esme, and Rosalie as I pulled her a little away and concentrated on soothing her. Emmett also pulled his wife close; the similarity of Alice's little adventure to Rosalie's last human memories would, no doubt, be very painful for her.

Feeling her shock a milisecond before the sound, I looked up as Esme gasped in fright, staring over my shoulder. I turned to see a scraggly looking teenage girl with dark hair standing behind me, just on the edge of the light. Immediately, I pulled Alice back towards the rest of our family. I would make sure that she was protected.

We stared at each other for a few moments.

Emmett cleared his throat nervously, seeming to be at a loss for words. "Erm..."

The girl apparently decided to spare him the trouble. "Hi."

"What do you want?" My voice came out harsher than intended, but I felt the recognition in my little pixie. This girl had been a part of this 'adventure' of Alice's and I was not about to let someone who might harm her come withing fifty feet of her.

"I need somewhere to stay."

Silence in the clearing. Well, at least she didn't beat around the bush.

She rolled her eyes slightly, turning toward Alice. "Do you remember me? I got you out of the camp?..." she prompted.

Alice nodded wordlessly, looking up at me to make sure I understood. This girl had quite possibly saved her life.

I understood. I understood more than Alice did. I had lived over a century at Maria's side, after all. I'd picked up a few things.

"Why should we let you in?"

"Jasper!" Esme's reproving hiss was directed toward me and I felt her shock at my rudeness.

"What? Whoever had Alice has seen her. How do we know that they won't come here looking for her."

"Either way..."

"No, he's right," the girl interrupted. Huh. Didn't see that coming. I tried to mask my suprise. "It's very likely that they'll come after me again. But I can make it worth your while. I have information that I think you'll find interesting."

I eyed her suspiciously. "What information?"

"I know where your daughter is."

A shocked silence filled the clearing.

Rosalie was the first to break it.

"Wh-what?" She stared at the teen in obvious disbelief.

"I know where his daughter is," came the calm reply. "His and Alice's."

I felt the pain and rage building inside of my sister. Nobody wanted children as much as Rosalie did. "Do you know what we are?" she demanded.

"Vampires." The word was said neutrally, without horror or happiness.

"Yes," she hissed, "we're vampires. Vampires can't have children!"

"Yes they can."

I decided to cut in. "How do you know?"

A sardonic smile flashed across her face, the first emotion I had been able to discern from her. She looked straight into my eyes.

"Hi Dad."

Then she collapsed, and we were able to see the blood soaking through her shirt.

**A/N: Hi! I know, I took a bit longer than usual to update. I'm not going to give you excuses. Suffice to say that I'm sorry and AP exams suck. So...What'd ya think? Reviews motivate me to write more ;) Can we get...5? Yes? C'mon, five's not that hard. I think you guys can do it! :)**


	4. New Possibilities, New Hope

**Disclaimer: Guess who's still not Stephanie Meyer? Yup. Me. All rights go to her.**

**Rosalie POV: **

I stared moodily out the window. It was impossible. It couldn't be true.

A week had passed since the girl had shown up at our doorstep after Alice's hunting misadventure, passing out in our backyard. She still hadn't woken up. Carlisle was getting a bit concerned, but there really wasn't anything he could do as he didn't know what different drugs would do to her system and he didn't want to risk hurting her further.

I had endured seven whole days of my entire world being thrown upside down. Who was I kidding? Of course it was true. I had seen the look on Edward's face. I had seen the similarities between her and Alice and Jasper.

She was their daughter.

They were the luckiest people in the world, and I was stuck on the sidelines, bitterly wishing for what I'd formerly thought could never be.

All I had ever wanted was a husband who loved me and a child. Just one. One that _I _could love and _I _could nurture. One who would look to me for advice and let me do her hair or let me teach him how to act around girls. I wasn't picky. Any child would do; I would love anyone I was blessed enough to get.

To be fair, I was much luckier than I deserved; I got half my dream.

Emmett. A small smile flitted its way across my face. He could always make me smile no matter what I was feeling like. Even when I didn't know what I was feeling like.

He was my prince, my knight in shining armor, valiantly fighting off the demons that haunted me and keeping me safe from the world and my bad memories. He kept me on my toes, always surprising me. But good surprises. Surprises that showed me how much he loved me just as much as I loved him. I sighed, sitting on our bed and pulling my legs up, resting my head on my knees.

No matter how much Emmett filled that gaping hole I could feel tearing through my heart, I still wanted a child.

I knew it was selfish. Heaven knows Edward told me enough. I couldn't provide a normal, happy home for any child to grow up in, and I wasn't even sure I would make a good mother. I was vain, proud, and acted like a witch. I was still bitter from what Royce and his friends had done to me so long ago. A better person would have probably found it in themselves to forgive them by now; I didn't care. I couldn't let that go. What child could look up to me?

I accidentally let out a sob.

Crap. Now everyone would now about my pain. Jasper, I knew, was too busy with Alice to notice me, and I'd wanted it to stay that way.

Alice. I shook my head. When she'd gotten back, she hadn't let anyone but me touch her, and even then only for long enough to get her to her room. Jasper had been going crazy with worry; he sat outside of their room staring at the closed door for the entire four days she had been in there. Eventually, I'd decided that enough was enough. This morning I'd stormed in there to talk whether she wanted to or not, banishing Jasper to go hunt.

That seemed to do the trick. She'd freaked out at the thought of Jasper being away from her and refused to let him leave. I couldn't blame her, seeing what had happened on her last hunting trip, so I'd given her an ultimatum: talk about it to me or talk about it to him. Either way, she was going to talk.

She'd chosen him (obviously, he was, after all, the love of her life), and I'd let it be, retreating to my room to give them some privacy.

Which left me alone with way to much space in my brain to think about things that I would rather not think about. Such as my lack of children.

A shift in the shadows, electricity in the air; I didn't even have to look up to know that Emmett had entered the room. A half smile ghosted across my face. Of course he had come to look for me. Of course he wanted to make sure I was alright. Of course he knew that I was hurting.

Neither of us said a word for a long, drawn-out minute. He seemed to be studying me. I wouldn't know for sure; I kept my eyes on my knees.

Finally, he sighed and some of the tension in the room dissipated. I felt him crawl up on the bed next to me, pulling my arms gently from where they were locked together around my legs. Reluctantly, I raised my head to meet his loving eyes. I couldn't help it; I broke down into tears. Well, I would have if I could cry. As it was, I made do with dry sobs that wracked my frame.

"Oh, Rose..." he pulled me close, wrapping me in his comforting embrace. "I wish you wouldn't try to hide it from me when you're in pain." His voice was pained; he didn't like it when I was upset.

"How did you know?"

"After almost eight decades of marriage? Lucky guess."

I smiled a little at that, wrapping my arms around my husband and pulling him closer to me.

"There's that pretty smile that I love so much. Cheer up, babe. It'll be alright."

"Alright? Emmett, my sister, my best friend in the world, has a teenage daughter. Don't you know what a miracle that is? Don't you know how much I wish it had been mine instead of hers?" My voice trailed off miserably. "Isn't that horrible? My best friend is a mother. I should be celebrating with her, squealing with delight and planning a shopping trip, being there for her when she doesn't think she'll be able to do it. And instead, I'm wishing, more than anything, that it hadn't happened to her. That I could have had this miracle instead. Aren't I a terrible person?"

"No, Rose. If you acted on that, it would be terrible. If you shunned her because of her good fortune, it wouldn't be very nice, but I'd understand. Frankly, I wouldn't blame you if you did; I know how much you want this Rose, and I'm sorry I don't know how to give it to you..." His voice cracked a little bit, surprising me. I reached up to cradle his face between my hands. I didn't like it when he was upset either.

"But I know you." he informed me determinedly. "I know how strong you are, how loyal. You'd do anything for Alice, and we both know that. That includes being happy for her, even when your heart is breaking."

I snuggled closer to him, relief lifting just the tiniest bit of guilt off of my shoulders. I wasn't a terrible person. Well, I probably was, but not in that way at least; I would not abandon my sister when she needed me, just because I was upset. My husband was wiser than most people gave him credit for. I told him so.

He laughed gently. "Yeah, I know. Pretty good for a small town hick, huh?" He winked at me and I smiled. "Anyway, I already told you. It'll turn out alright."

The small smile adorning my face disappeared. "I don't see how."

"Well, it's possible, isn't it? Alice and Jasper managed to have a kid. I don't see anything different between them and us; we're all vampires. All we've got to do is figure out how they did it."

I froze in his arms.

"You-you mean...you think...it...might...be possible?" The sentence came out hesitantly, my brain stuttering over the newfound hope that I tried to smother. _We don't know if it is._ I scolded my emotions. _It might not be. Don't get your hopes up._

_But what if it_ is_ possible?_

The small voice in the back of my head refused to be repressed.

"I don't see why not. It might take a while, sure, but I'm positive we can figure it out if we put our minds to it."

I nodded slowly. I didn't want to hope. Hope was dangerous. Hope got your heart broken. But...

I had hoped for Emmett, hadn't I? All those years ago, I had hoped that he would survive, that we would work out alright. And now look where we were?

Was it possible that I wasn't doomed to forever wish for the impossible?

Was it possible that I might actually find full happiness?

"Thank you Emmett." I whispered. He took this as a cue to stop talking and just hold me close. Smart man.

I allowed my husband's embrace to soothe away my worries as I mulled over this new idea.

And, ever so slowly, I felt the hope start to grow.

**A/N: So, I wasn't planning for this chapter to happen, but I couldn't keep it out, because I felt that Rosalie needed to have her say. After all, she wouldn't be able to just calmly and cheerfully accept this, there would definitely be some angst. I'm not sure how I did with her, you'll have to let me know.**

**Thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far! I asked for five last time and we got four, which is better than I've gotten on all the other chapters, so big thank you to you guys, you're the best!**

**I've been asked when I would update, and though the person meant only when would this chapter be up, I thought it could have a broader meaning. I'm writing this as I go, and I will try to update about once a week. Maybe more often, maybe less. What this means for you, though, is that I am open to any suggestions that you guys may have for me! Review your ideas and I'll look them over. If I like it, I'll write it. **

**Last time I asked for five reviews, we didn't quite make it. Let's try again. I know you can do it! C'mon...please? *bats eyelashes innocently* ...For me?... Reviews really do inspire me to write.**


	5. Healing Conversation

**Disclaimer: I am still not Stephanie Meyer. Shocking, I know.**

**Alice POV:**

I curled into a ball on my bed, desperately wishing that Jasper was right next to me. But at the same time I couldn't stand anyone touching me, especially not romantically. My skin crawled at the very thought. I shuddered and miserably curled farther into myself. The conflicting desires were tearing me apart. They raged and warred with each other until I couldn't tell what I was feeling except that I. Wanted. Jasper. A small sob escaped me.

Suddenly, the door burst open. Instantly I was on the other side of the room, tensed as if for a fight. See, this was why I couldn't let myself near my husband. I would only cause him pain.

Rosalie stood framed in the doorway; I saw Jasper pushing himself up from his seat on the floor to stand behind her, uttering a half-hearted protest. He wanted me as much as I wanted him, I could see it in his face. My adopted sister totally ignored him, focusing on me with a dismissive flip of her hair.

"Alright, that's enough. Enough wallowing in self-pity; he didn't even get farther than kissing you for Pete's sake! Sitting there replaying it over and over in your mind isn't gonna do anything but hurt you in the long run. You need to talk about it. So we're gonna talk."

I smiled faintly. There was the Rosalie I knew and loved. She would order me to do something against my wishes if she thought it was for my own good. And knowing her I was going to end up doing what she said and being grateful later.

Automatically, I searched the future to see my reaction to whatever she was going to say. Or, at least, I tried to. All I got was black, just like I had been for the past...I blinked with surprise as I realized that I didn't even know how long I'd been sitting here.

"You've been in here for four days. I know that you've been traumatized and all, but enough is enough. Out with it."

I glanced nervously over her shoulder to see Jasper, eyes dark as night, looking torn as he stared back at me. Oh, Jasper. He was suffering.

Rose noticed my glance and turned on him. "Out." she ordered.

He blinked at her like she was insane, which, granted, she was. My indecision spiked again as my emotions warred over whether I wanted him there or not.

"Excuse me?" His voice sounded slightly rusty, like he hadn't used it the entire time I'd been in here.

"Out. She needs to talk and you need to hunt anyway. Go get a few deer, maybe a mountain lion or something, but don't come back until your eyes are gold."

"No!" The word surprised everyone, including me, as it flew out of my mouth. Suddenly, I found myself across the room and in Jasper's arms, my head buried in his chest. Huh. I guess I really had wanted him, after all. Good to know.

I was distracted from my thoughts by a strong sense of relief that swept through me as his arms tightened, pulling me closer to him protectively. I felt a little guilty - well, a little meaning a little more than I had already been feeling, which was quite a lot, but whatever - he had been suffering. Memories of another pair of arms started to blink in front of my eyes, memories of a horrible feeling of hands all over me; Jared's hands. I shuddered in disgust, but wound my arms tighter around my husband.

I would not let those memories prevent me from touching my Jasper. I would not cause him more pain.

"Lissy." He didn't say anymore; he didn't have to. The worry and relief and love were evident in his voice. I glanced up at his face, mesmerized by his beautiful eyes. The raw emotion in them, the vulnerability, disarmed me. I pulled myself closer. He reached up to stroke my face. I wanted it _so _bad, but the image of Jared's hand doing the same made me whimper in fear and disgust.

Instantly his hand dropped back to where it had been, wrapped around my back, pulling me to him. I looked up at him, regret and apology written across my face.

Rosalie, meanwhile, had been standing off to the side, shrewdly watching the interaction. "Alright, listen," she spoke up randomly. "You have two options. Talk to me or talk to him. Either way, you are going to talk."

I looked back at my husband, who stood holding me, worry written across his entire face. I raised my hand to his face, hesitantly stroking it to try and smooth away the angst. It worked a little, but he still was concerned about me. And he would be until I explained what I was feeling, why I was reacting like this. It wasn't even a debatable question who I was going to talk to.

"Jasper."

"Fine," she snapped, "now talk." And with that, she stormed back out of the room. I blinked at the now closed door. Well, then.

Jasper chuckled. "Does she always get what she wants?" he mused quietly.

A faint smile crossed my face before fading away. "Almost everything." I answered. He picked up on my change of mood and gently pulled me over to the bed. Instantly, I was tense, fear flashing through me. I was not ready for...that...yet. _Don't be stupid. _I argued with myself. _This is _Jasper,_ remember?_

He felt my tension, of course. I felt his lips near my ear; "Relax, Lissy. It's more comfortable to talk there than standing in the middle of the room. We won't do anything your not ready for, I promise." I nodded.

"R-right." Inwardly I cursed at myself for letting my voice shake. He sighed and gently pulled me up so that I was curled on my side next to him, his arms still encasing me in their protective warmth - it felt warm to me, anyway. He was also lying on his side, facing me, as he gently pulled my face around to look at him.

"What's wrong Lissy? What happened out there?"

I took a deep breath.

**Jasper POV:**

The tumult of her emotions was making me dizzy; I tugged her toward the bed so I could sit down. I felt her tense in my arms - finally, she was back in my arms, I could hold her again - and fear flashed through her entire body, leaving her trembling.

I couldn't have that. I pulled her close to me, letting my lips fall near her ear. "Relax, Lissy. It's more comfortable to talk there than standing in the middle of the room. We won't do anything you're not ready for, I promise." I worked on sending out waves of comfort. She hesitated for a moment more before slowly nodding.

"R-right..." I hated the fear in her voice.

I didn't give her a chance to think about it, instead pulling her next to me on the bed and working on making her as calm and comfortable as possible. As gently as I could manage - I was very aware of her reactions the last few times I'd tried to touch her face - I guided her face around so I could see her eyes.

"What's wrong Lissy? What happened out there?"

I was hit with a wave of nerves as she took a deep, unnecessary breath.

"He kissed me." It was a whisper, almost like if she didn't say it loudly it might disappear, as if it had never happened.

"What?" My voice was black with rage. I'd known that something had happened, of course. Edward had mentioned it, but in the chaos following the girl - my daughter's - proclamation, he'd been a bit vague on the details.

The fear that shot through her reminded me that I couldn't show my rage around her; it wasn't her fault, and frightening her wasn't going to help anything. I worked to make my voice as gentle as possible.

"I'm not angry with you, Darlin'," I reassured her. "I'm just furious with them for doing that to you."

The guilt flared again as she buried her head in my chest. I blinked at her, confused. Why would she be feeling guilty?

"I-I know I'm overreacting," she whispered. "He didn't even get farther than kissing me. Compared to what happened to Rosalie or Esme when they were human, it was nothing. But can still feel his hands on me, his lips on mine. It keeps playing over and over in my mind and it won't stop. It feels..." she paused to look for the right word. "...Dirty. And it's tearing me apart. I want to stay with you, I want to hold on and never ever let go and just try and forget it, but I can't. I can't stand the thought of people touching me."

Once she started talking, she just kept babbling. I could feel the relief as she got it all off of her chest, and I was glad I could finally figure out what was going on and how I cold help her, but I could also feel how much it was costing her to be this brutally honest.

It's hard to share every emotion. I knew that better than most.

I pulled her closer to me carefully, as gently as I knew how, stroking one hand up and down her back comfortingly. Surprise washed through her as she looked up at me gratefully. It made me sad.

"Did you think that I would think less of you for it?" I asked.

"No." she informed me fiercely, a look of determination on her face. Then her expression slipped into a less confident one. "Yes?" The guilt welled up again as she buried her face in my chest. "I don't know. I'm so confused."

A chuckle escaped me before I could contain it, and I felt her smile at her ambiguous answer despite her emotional turmoil.

"I don't. You don't have to feel guilty, Alice. It wasn't your fault and I don't think less of you for it happening."

"It feels like it was my fault." She laughed without humor. "Isn't that insane? It feels like I should have been able to stop him, like I was too weak. I tried to stop him, I swear I did, but I couldn't." Her voice dropped down to a whisper. "Maybe I am weak."

"No." I hugged her to me fiercely. "You're not weak, Alice, it wasn't your fault. It was his. And you did fight back, you delayed him from getting farther until you could get away. You aren't to blame for what happened to you."

She wanted to believe me; trust, hope, and happiness warred with self-loathing, doubt, and fear.

"Really?"

I looked her straight in the eyes. "Really."

She slowly relaxed into my arms as the good emotions won out and the guilt and fear finally went away. She pressed a kiss to my neck as she cuddled into my side.

"I'm sorry I shut you out for the past four days." I could hear the genuine regret for my suffering in her voice as she apologized.

Now it was my turn to laugh without humor. "It's alright. It was just a very long four days."

"I wanted you so bad, but I couldn't let you deal with me being such a mess. I wouldn't have even been able to stay withing five feet of you." She hadn't wanted to hurt me. I was touched down to my core and I leaned down to place a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

"You know I never left. I probably know the outside of our door better than the back of my hand now." Surprise mixed with gratitude, blending together and joining into her love for me.

"Thank you." She whispered. I smiled; I knew what she meant.

"I love you too."

**A/N: Hi guys! WE GOT FIVE REVIEWS ON THE LAST CHAPTER! Yeah, I get excited over what many people deem to be inconsequential, but it's the small victories in life that mean the most. You guys rock!**

**So, a lot of people have been asking about how Alice and Jasper could have a kid and not know it. There is a reasonable (well, reasonable to me at least, we'll see what you guys think of it) explanation, I promise. It should be coming in the next couple of chapters.**

**So...we got five last time...can we get six reviews on this chapter? Yes? I think we can... :) C'mon, guys, don't let me down!**


	6. She's Awake

**Disclaimer: If I were Stephanie Meyer, I wouldn't be writing stuff on here, would I?**

**Carlisle POV:**

I walked toward the guest bedroom, running my hand through my hair. This girl, this mystery, this potential miracle, that lay on the bed was starting to worry me.

Four days.

It had been four days and she still hadn't woken up. I'd dismissed her slumber at first. Though I was curious to find out that she was able to sleep, after I had gotten used to the idea it made sense that she wasn't waking up. Her body needed time to recover. So, I bandaged the gash running along her stomach and put her on the bed in the spare room.

When she hadn't woken up by the third day, I was starting to feel a bit concerned.

Now it had been four days.

I was seriously worried.

People didn't sleep for that long unless there was something incredibly amiss.

I sighed as I pushed open the bedroom door. Pausing at the threshhold, I couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted me. I should have known that Esme would be unable to keep herself away; her mothering instinct was too strong.

My wife sat on the edge of the bed, completely focussed on the teen in front of her as she placed her hand on the girl's forehead. Feeling a tad mischevious, I snuck up behind her, slipping my arms around her waist. She jumped in suprise - she hadn't noticed me coming in - before relaxing into me, turning her head to give me a brief kiss.

"Hey."

She smiled at me wearily. "Hey."

"I should have guessed you'd be in here," I teased gently. "You just can't stay away when someone's in pain, can you?"

I succeeded in making her laugh. "Neither can you. It's part of the reason why I love you so much."

"I love you too," I informed her. She smiled at me and pulled my head around so she could kiss me. It was brief, but unbearably sweet. I pulled her into a more comfortable position on my lap as we both sat quietly staring at the girl.

"I wish she'd wake up."

I made a general noise of agreement. "It will be nice to be able to call her something other than 'the girl'."

She laughed at me. "Oh, yes. That's the reason. I definitly don't want to figure out how Alice and Jasper managed to have a child or anything."

It pained me to see her so upset, though she tried to hide it. Rosalie may have been more obvious in her desire, but I knew that my wife wanted a child just as much as my oldest daughter. Her past had made children a very painful subject. No one could replace her firstborn son, dead after only a few days of life, but I knew that, if given the opportunity to have more, she'd be the best mother a child could ask for. Of course she was interested in a possibility for her to concieve. If Alice and Jasper could do it, couldn't we?

"Is that sarcasm I hear from my lovely wife?" I pretended to be shocked. "You, my dear, have been spending way too much time with our teenage children."

As her giggles pealed throughout the room, I thought that it was quite possible that if I could make her laugh at least once every day, then I would (eventually) die a happy man.

"I know what you mean, though," I continued more seriously. "I wonder how it's possible. I didn't know it was."

She leaned away from me a bit to stroke the girl's forehead again. "I think we should keep her. She looks sweet."

Now it was my turn to laugh. "You do realize that you haven't even officially met her yet."

"I don't care."

And it was true; she honestly didn't care. They hadn't had a single conversation - heck, she didn't even know her name - but Esme had already fallen in love with the teen that had fallen into our lives.

I pulled her close and kissed her again, as gently and sweetly as I knew how. "I love you so much."

Her lips smiled against mine. "I love you too."

Closing her eyes, she rested her head on my neck and relaxed into me. Good. I was glad to have prevented her from her (well deserved, but still) moping. I sighed contentedly, dropping my head to rest atop hers.

"You two really are adorable together. I knew you would be."

The unexpected voice startled us both. Our eyes flew to the bed where the teenage girl sat blinking up at us with tired eyes.

**Edward POV:**

I let my frustration flow out of me and into my music. Alice was downplaying what had happened to her, of course, blinded by insane, unnecessary guilt. It wasn't like she had _asked_ to be nearly raped by a gang of violent !#$%# %^%& $# #!$!$%$^&^&%$# . My thoughts trailed into obscene territory as my rage grew exponentially. How _dare_ they do that to my little sister?

_Edward._ Carlisle's thought distracted me from the angry song flowing through my piano. _She's awake._

My eyes widened. Awake? The girl who had wrecked so much havoc upon my family could finally give us some answers?

_I don't entirely trust her, Edward. I want to know what she's thinking, but be discreet about it. I don't want her to know all our secrets, not just yet, anyway._

"Of course," I replied quietly, standing and walking upstairs to Alice and Jasper's room. They deserved to know what was going on; it was, after all, their child. Knocking on Rosalie and Emmett's door as I passed, I vaguely heard Carlisle call for a family meeting in the dining room.

I gently knocked on the door to Alice and Jasper's room. They were where they had been for the past hour or so, laying on the bed in each other's arms. Both of them looked up when I stepped in, Alice fearfully, Jasper protectively. She relaxed when she saw that it was just me.

_Just Edward. Edward and Jasper. They won't hurt you, you know that._

We both winced at the image of another man leering down at her.

_They're not him, _she told herself firmly.

I was proud of her for fighting these nightmares; she didn't deserve to be tormented by them.

"She's awake," I informed Jasper in a quiet voice.

His eyes tightened a little, but he nodded agreeably.

_If she says or does _anything_ that will hurt Alice, I'm kicking her out myself._ Jasper was determined to protect his wife.

"Who?" Alice was confused.

Jasper and I exchanged a glance. _I'll tell her, _he informed me.

"Do you remember the girl that helped you get away?" he questioned.

"Of course. Our daughter."

We looked at each other, eyebrows raised in surprise. I saw that she had already accepted this idea of a daughter without question.

"You're not bothered by the fact that you had a child and can't remember it at all?" I wondered.

"I am. I want to know what happened, what could have made me forget. But I kinda had some other stuff to spazz about, so it went to the back burner."

Jasper decided to intervene. "Well, she just woke up."

"She sleeps?"

"Yes. She hasn't woke up since she passed out, just after we got home."

"You mean she's been asleep for FOUR DAYS!?"

In truth, Alice had temporarily forgotten about the girl, her mind too busy trying to sort through what had happened on her hunting trip. Now, worry burst forth.

"Wait, wasn't she bleeding when she passed out?"

_She's been asleep for four days and nobody's done anything? Is she alright? What's going on? I hope she's going to be alright, it would be so cool to have a girl of my own to take shopping..._

I chuckled. Trust Alice to think of shopping at a time like this. Jasper gave me a confused look; Alice just stuck her tongue out at me.

"Yes, she was bleeding. She had a nasty gash running across her stomach, but Carlisle bandaged it. Yes, she's been asleep for four days, we were starting to get a bit worried. She's awake now, though. Carlisle just called a family meeting. Do you want to meet her?"

Her eyes lit up. "Yes." Jasper laughed at her enthusiasm. "What?" she stretched the word into two syllables.

"You might want to change clothes first." _That should keep her distracted for long enough. I need to talk to you Edward._

She gasped, looking down at herself. "I'VE BEEN WEARING THE SAME OUTFIT FOR FIVE WHOLE DAYS!?" she shrieked. Immediately, she was off the bed and in her closet.

Jasper chuckled in relief. _Good, she's feeling better._

"A bit," I replied.

_How bad was it? _He looked at me seriously.

"Her memories...aren't plesant."

_No duh, Sherlock._

I lowered my voice so that Alice couldn't hear us talking about her. "They nearly raped her. It was close. The only reason they stopped is because the leader forbid them from public raping, so he had to wait until it was dark. From what I can piece together, she was chained to a tree for the day and got out because of this girl."

_Do you think she really is our daughter?_

I paused for a second. It was a simple enough question on the surface, but it had a much deeper meaning. Did I think that it was possible?

"Yes."

_What are you getting out of her thoughts?_

"I'm not sure." I focussed on her, but all I could hear were vague bits and pieces of things. "She's a very quiet person, very hard to read."

A snort of laughter came from downstairs and we both blinked in surprise.

_She can hear us?_

"Apparently."

_Well, I suppose we should go and meet her, then._

Alice bounced out of the closet.

"Ugh." I groaned.

She blinked at me, a little hurt. I turned on Jasper. "Couldn't you at least _attempt_ to control your thoughts until I'm out of the room?"

He grinned. "I married her, I'm entitled."

Alice laughed at us, returning to Jasper's side to give him a quick peck on the cheek. Together, we walked downstairs to where everyone else was already seated at the dining room table.

Rosalie and Emmett sat on one side. Rosalie was glaring at the girl, but from Jasper's thoughts I could tell that she was just a little bit hopeful.

_I wonder if it could be possible? Don't get your hopes up, Rosalie. But it might be possible. But it might not!_

Emmett was prepared to do whatever was necessary to find out how to do give his wife a child.

_That's what she wants, that's what she's gonna get. I just need to figure out how it happened._

Esme sat at the head of the table; Carlisle stood right behind her with his hand on her shoulder. I could hear Esme's slight exasperation at his insistence that she have the chair, but I could hear how much it meant to her. She was worried.

_Poor dear, I hope she's alright. Oh! Alice is out of her room! _She smiled at her youngest daughter and Alice smiled back._ It'll take a while for her to recover, emotionally, but she'll be okay. She's a fighter. _

Carlisle was trying to convince the girl to take pain medication."You have a six inch long gash along your stomach, that's got to be painful. I would have given you something before, but I wasn't sure what it would do to your system."

"No drugs, thank you."

"Just tell me which type of pain medication you usually use." _Good grief, she's one of the most stubborn people I've ever met._

She lauged without humor. "Usually, I suck it up and deal with it and I get on with my job."

Jasper broke in. "Training newborns?"

The entire room went still. Everyone knew the dangers of Jasper's violent past, along with the caution necessary around people with similar backgrounds. If she trained newborns for a living, then she was a potential threat.

She gazed evenly back at him. "Sometimes," she told him calmly. "Sometimes not. It really depends on what sort of mood Maria's in."

**A/N: A bit of a cliffhanger, I know, but how else am I supposed to get you guys to review? Last time I asked for six. I got three. **

**Not that I don't appreciate those reviews. A HUGE thank you to KittieKat121, Debbie93, and Sarah v. for your input. You guys rock!**

**I've gotten several hundred visitors to this story. I think we can get six reviews. Yes? Please? I love hearing what you guys think.**

**Speaking of which, how did I do with Edward? He was harder to write because of the whole mind reading thing, so I hope he wasn't too out of character.**

**Smiley-Face!**

**~ TheVioletContradiction ~**


	7. Forgotten Family

**Disclaimer: I still don't own Twilight.**

**Jasper POV:**

I pulled Alice close as we walked down the stairs. She was downplaying her misadventure, but I could feel the emotional chaos that was her feelings. Just the thought of what they had tried to do made me want to hunt down those miserable excuses for human beings and torture them to death myself.

We walked into the living room and the emotions of my family swirled around me. Worry, relief, pain, hope, determination, concern; the feelings were so strong I could nearly taste them.

The girl sat at one end of the table arguing with Carlisle over the necessity of pain medication. I did a double take as I heard her voice for the first time. It was very faint - the others probably wouldn't even be able to pick up on it - but I could hear faint traces of a Southern accent in her voice. I reexamined her.

The faint shadow of scars lined her face, neck, and arms - all her skin that was visible. It was covered by a thin layer of makeup, but if you knew what to look for then you could see it. I knew where scars like those came from; I had them covering pretty much every inch of my skin. The bottom of her jeans was caked with familiar desert dust and clay. She had on a rope belt in a distinctly Southern style. They were all subtle signs to be sure, but they were there.

This girl was a potential threat.

"Usually, I suck it up and deal with it and I get on with my job." The others missed the dry humor in her voice. It was a bit ironic, in a way. If my suspicions were correct, she dealt with much, much worse pain than a measly six inch gash on a daily basis; from the Southern point of view, Carlisle's suggestion of pain medication was a ludicrous overreaction.

I decided to join in the conversation.

"Training newborns?"

She gazed at me, her emotions speculative. She was going to test me, to see how I would react to something. "Sometimes," she told me matter-of-factly. "Sometimes not. It really depends on what sort of mood Maria's in."

I stared back at her, my expression deadly calm.

"Get. Out."

"No."

This surprised me. Not many would stand up to a man with a Southern accent and deadly tone who was covered in battle scars.

"Then I will kick you out myself." I let my accent creep back into my speech. Let her hear the danger. She wasn't going to hurt my family, not after so many years of peace.

She smirked at me. The others missed the challenge in her eyes, but I did not. She wasn't going anywhere.

"I repeat. No."

I decided to change tactics. Getting angry and yelling would do no good with this girl; to her, it would only prove suspicions of a weak coven. It was basic teaching that you only bluff when you're out of cards. Yelling would signify a bluff. Calm would imply that I was in control.

"What do you want with us?"

"Five minutes. You owe me that at least." We had a silent staring match as I thought it over.

I laid down my rules. "Fine. You have five minutes to convince me that I shouldn't kick you out of my house and into the next century before going down to Texas and murdering Maria myself. Go."

"Thank you."

"Four minutes, fifty-three seconds."

She immediately began talking. She knew exactly how serious I was.

"My name is Violet Whitlock. I am forty-four years old. It's standard policy, when demi-vamps (like myself) are born, to be put up for a sponsor. It's a bit like adoption. If you aren't chosen by a sponsor, then you will either be sent to a life of hard labor or killed immediately. My twin sister and I were sponsored by Maria; yes, the same Maria that Jasper used to work for. No, I don't like her, she's a sadistic witch who enjoys torturing other people. We are good at what we do: surviving. We made it through our childhood without dying and eventually we were promoted through the ranks to co-generals of Maria's army.

During this time, I also had a few assignments with others in positions of power. I ended up infiltrating government headquarters on a mission and found official documents relating to a program called the demi-vamp program. It turns out that the government decided to control all demi-vamps that were born, so they made sure that all pregnant vampires gave birth in official government sanctioned hospitals, then they took the newborn babies.

I was interested, so I pulled a few strings. As it turns out, the moms are drugged during childbirth and possibly before. This drug reacts with the venom in their systems and acts as an effective memory suppresent. That's why you probably don't remember anything about me or my siblings.

We are told that our parents don't care about us enough to raise us. I believed this for a while. I was mad, so I decided not to come look for you. When I discovered these files, I realized that you probably just had no idea who I was.

I began to see flashes of your futures. I had no idea who you were, but I knew that I wouldn't be seeing you if it wasn't important, so when I saw that Alice was going to be hurt if I didn't intervene I ran up here to stop it. I've met her captors, they're not pleasant people. I've been held hostage by them before.

All I ask, for now, is that you get to know me before deciding whether or not to let me stay with you.

My five minutes are up."

My family looked at me. Stunned emotions hit from every side. I ignored them, focussing on this girl - Violet - in front of me, debating.

"I think she's telling the truth." Edward spoke up, careful to make his observation of her thoughts an opinion instead of a statement of fact. He didn't want to give away his ability.

Alice caught on. "I do too."

I nodded slowly, still processing her story. Violet sat silently. She had had her five minutes, now she was done talking. There wasn't even a hint of nervousness in her emotions; she would comply with my wishes, but if she didn't like them, she'd find away to change them. I felt a grudging admiration for the girl; she was a skilled diplomat, I'd give her that much.

"You can see the future?"

"Yes."

I glanced at Edward, giving him permission in my head to ask her questions. If he did, the others would. I could feel their curiosity.

I sat, pulling Alice into my lap, as he asked her the first question. "What kind of assignments are you given?"

She smirked. "Dangerous assignments. Assignments that have gotten me into trouble. I'm wanted in twenty-six countries, dead or alive. I'm also banned from seventeen more."

Carlisle spoke up next. "The drug you mentioned..." She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "Even if it erased the memories from the mothers, how does that explain the fathers' similar lack of memory?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. It was dangerous enough to find the information that I did. Two people died as a result."

Rosalie was next. "How?" she demanded.

"How?"

"Yes. How? We are vampires. How is it possible that we can reproduce?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, there's this thing called sex..."

"Yeah, we got that," Emmett interrupted. "The point is, we didn't know that it was physically possible for vampires to have children; our bodies are unchanging, so any woman wouldn't be able to grow to suit her child's needs."

"Every woman goes through a reproductive cycle. For human women, it's just a lot quicker and more obvious. Vampire women have different stages of their lives when they are more human-like and more likely to conceive."

Alice shifted uncomfortably in my lap; from her mood, she was debating asking something. I automatically sent her a small wave of encouragement. She flashed a grateful smile at me before speaking.

"You mentioned that you had siblings?"

Violet gave her her full attention. I could feel pity and empathy flowing from her. "Yes," she said gently. "I have one brother and four sisters. Biologically, anyway. There are others I count as family that aren't technically related by blood." She paused for a second, debating something in her head. "Would you like to see them? I have pictures..."

She actually looked and felt unsure for the first time since she had arrived. She was giving Alice the choice.

My wife nodded eagerly. Violet smiled.

"Just a second."

Then, she was out of the room, so fast that I'd have missed her if I'd blinked. Almost immediately, she was back, a dirty and torn backpack slung over one shoulder.

"They're actually drawings," she explained. "Not my best work, but you can get a general idea."

She pulled a folder from the bag and opened it, laying four pictures in front of us. Alice immediately leaned forward to inspect them, absorbing every detail she could about her forgotten family. I couldn't help but be interested; I leaned closer too.

Violet pointed to the first picture. "That's Jake." A blonde boy with touseled hair sat on a fence, the sun shining down on his scar riddled face. His boots showed from beneath his dusty, ripped jeans as he watched the horses in the field in front of him. A half-smirk was directed toward the viewer - I assumed that it was originally directed at Violet - but most of his attention was focussed on the horses.

I was vaguely aware of the others discreetly gathered behind us so that they could see over our shoulders.

"He's the oldest, my only full brother. We're very close. He's a good storyteller when he wants to be. Oh, and he doesn't talk."

"Ever?" Alice questioned.

"Very, very rarely," Violet replied. "He _can,"_ she added, "he just generally chooses not to." Alice nodded thoughtfully.

"Who's that?" she asked, pointing at the next one. A girl with _long_ - almost down to her knees - black hair was sticking her pierced tongue out at us through the picture. She was tiny - had obviously inherited Alice's height gene - and the hair seemed to almost emphasize the fact. She was wearing fashionable, but a little less conservative than we were used to, clothing; skinny jeans with a shirt that didn't cover her midriff and a long, floofy, sweater jacket thing. One fist was planted firmly on her waist as she used the other hand to flip us off.

Violet laughed. "That's Kristi. She's definately one of a kind. She and Maria didn't get along at all. Well, none of us get along with Maria, she's evil incarnate, but those two especially went at it all the time. They would scream at each other for _hours_. Eventually, she decided that she'd had enough, so she taught herself French, moved to Paris, and became a chef."

Alice studied the portrait carefully. "I'm going to like her," she announced. "I can tell."

"Yeah, I think you two will get along. This is me and Keeah, my twin sister." The girls were seated in a library. One was seated in a window seat, a thick book propped open on her lap. She had her finger marking a spot halfway down the page as she leaned down to look over her sister's shoulder. The other one was showing off something on a sketchpad, laughing up at the one in the window.

"The one on the floor is me, the one in the window is Keeah." She paused for a second to let us look. "And this is Angel and Jasmine. Jasmine's the one on the floor." Two adorable little girls were featured in this drawing. One stood in front of a mirror, her back to the viewer. Her reflection was clearly visible as she posed in too-big high heels and a puffy princess dress. A toy wand hung from her side in her left hand and she gestured excitedly to the girl on the floor behind her. The blonde girl was sprawled out across the floor. She was studying the array of colored pencils and crayons in front of her with a little crease between her eyebrows. Papers with drawings in various stages of completion littered the floor around her.

"They're twins too," Violet commented before falling silent. Alice and I stared at the pictures. If this was really possible - and, for some reason, I couldn't help but think that she was telling the truth - then we had a whole family that we hadn't known about.

"They're beautiful, Alice." Poor Esme. She hid it well, but I could sense her desperate desire for children of her own laced with a faint jealousy. Though she was genuinely happy for us, it was hurting her that she couldn't have children of her own.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Faint regret coursed through my daughter. "I have something for you too." From her backpack she removed another folder - this one not quite as thick - and handed it to my adoptive mother. Esme opened it curiously.

What she saw made her gasp in shock.

**A/N: Hi guys! You guys are the best! I got six reviews on the last chapter, five of them the day I posted. I was so excited that I went and wrote another one shot because I still wasn't sure where I was going with this. **

**Speaking of which, please go read and review my other stories! You can find them on my profile page.**

**Special shout out to KittieKat121, who went and read and reviewed all of my stories without any prompting. You rock! :)**

**I hope this satisfied some of your guys' request for details. I tried to catch everything in her explanation, but if I missed something and you still have a question, leave it in a review.**

**Dare I hope for seven reviews? Yes? I think so! ;)**


	8. New Family Members

**Disclaimer: Guess who's still not Stephanie Meyer? Yup. That would be me.**

_Previously:_

_Jasper POV:_

_"Oh, that reminds me!" Faint regret coursed through my daughter. "I have something for you too." From her backpack she removed another folder - this one not quite as thick - and handed it to my adoptive mother. Esme opened it curiously._

_What she saw made her gasp in shock._

**Emmett POV:**

I held Rosalie tight to me as she looked at the pictures of Alice and Jasper's children. I knew she was jealous, though she was trying to be a good sport about this whole thing - in her own way.

"They're beautiful, Alice." Poor Esme. I knew that my gentle adopted mother wanted children just as, if not more, badly as my wife did.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Violet looked suprised, like she had forgotten something important. "I have something for you too." From her backpack she removed another folder - not quite as think as the one she'd given to Alice - and handed it to Esme, who opened it curiously.

She gasped, a hand fluttering up to cover her mouth.

"I probably shouldn't have been eavesdropping on your guys' futures..." The girl didn't look remorseful in the slightest. "...but I was, and I happened to hear the last name Cullen. And it just so happens that some of my adopted siblings have the same last name. So, I did some digging and I'm about 93% confident that those are your kids."

Esme sat down weakly next to Carlisle at the table, touching the drawing in front of her like it was the most precious thing in the world.

A girl who looked to be in her early twenties was flying gracefully through the air, toes pointed, arms arching over her head, and clothed in a leotard. Her long carmel colored hair floated around her in chaotic beauty. The look on her face was one of the absolute joy of someone who has found what they want to do in life and is living to the fullest.

"That's Sophie. She's a dancer. She's younger than the other two. Right now she's studying ballet at Julliard, but she's done Jazz, Hip-Hop, Pom, and Traditional Folk Dancing as well." Esme nodded, studying the picture intently before passing it to Carlisle.

"The other one is of Kristoff and Lizzie. They're twins too," Violet informed her, passing her a drawing of a girl and a boy.

"What's with all the twins?" I muttered.

Violet laughed. "Believe it or not, twins are actually pretty rare in our world. Really, what it comes down to is that we bonded over our shared awesomeness and just kinda stuck together. Safety in numbers and all that jazz. It's kinda nice to be able to talk to someone who understands what its like to be a twin."

"This is Kristoff?" Esme asked, pointing to the picture at the boy.

"Yes. Actually..." she trailed off and tilted her head to the side as if listening to something. We all heard the crunch of gravel as a car turned onto our driveway. Carlisle and Jasper exchanged a worried glance: we hadn't been expecting anyone today. Waiting silently where we stood, we listened as the engine turned off and four car doors slammed.

"C'monc'monc'monc'mon!" a shrill, excited voice squealed impatiently.

"Relax, Angel. We'll get there soon enough," a girl replied patiently.

"Where are we?" the third voice asked sleepily.

"We're gonna go see Violet, Saphy."

Jasper looked at Violet, one eyebrow raised. "They're friendly," she whispered, answering his silent question.

"Joy." A new voice entered the mix, its tone sarcastic.

"Be nice."

There was a pattering of running footsteps before we heard the door slam open.

"Angel."

There was a sigh of aggravation. "Fine," she huffed.

The feet ran back outside. Violet seemed to be stifiling laughter as the door shut. Seconds later, we heard a knock.

"It's open!" shouted Violet.

Instantly, the door banged open again and little feet came running up the stairs. A tiny, dark-haired girl burst into the room and into Violet's arms.

"VIOLET!"

Violet laughed. "Hey, Angel-cake."

"Didya miss me?"

"Just a little bit," Violet teased.

Alice gasped. The girl was one of the kids in the drawings she'd just gotten, the one who'd been playing dress-up.

Angel looked over at Alice and Jasper. "Is that them?" she stage-whispered.

"Yes," Violet whispered back.

**Jasper POV:**

"Is that them?"

"Yes."

The child examined me. Suddenly, she was off of Violet's lap and standing directly in front of me, her hands balled into tiny fists and planted on her hips.

"I'm mad at you," she informed me.

I blinked at her in suprise, reading her emotions. There was actually some annoyance directed at me, though I had never met this child before in my life.

"Why is that?" I questioned politely.

"You took _forever_ for Violet to find! I had to wait a _long. time._"

Alice let out a startled laugh. I couldn't blame her; I was also amused by the similarity between my first meeting with my wife and my first meeting with my daughter - albiet amused in a stunned sort of way.

I knelt down to look her in the eye. "I'm sorry, ma'am," I drawled.

She studied me skeptically for a moment before looking over my shoulder where two more girls had entered. The younger one was hiding behind the older one - who I assumed was Violet's twin, Keeah, as they looked identical. The little girl nodded shyly to her sister.

Instantly, Angel's arms were around my neck in a hug. "Fine. You're forgiven." She pulled back and waved her finger at me sternly. "Don't let it happen again." She made a serious face at me for another moment, making sure I got the message, before skipping off cheerfully to sit in Alice's lap.

"You're Alice," she informed her.

"I know I am," replied Alice. "You're Angel."

"Yup, that's me," the girl nodded proudly. "Angelica Christine Whitlock. I'm two." She held up two fingers pretentiously.

"You look like you're about six," interrupted Emmett. "And there's no way that you're forty-three," he added, pointing at Violet.

She laughed. "We age faster than human children do," she told us. "Once we reach full maturity - around the age of eight - we can control how old we appear. I prefer to look like a teenager than an adult."

Keeah cleared her throat from the doorway.

"Oh yeah. Alice and Jasper, this is Keeah and Jasmine. Kay, Jazz, this is Alice and Jasper."

Alice smiled at them. "Hi."

Jasmine looked around her big sister and stuck her tongue out at her.

Suprise radiated from almost every person in the room; only Violet, Keeah, Angel, and Alice were unfazed.

Alice looked directly at our youngest daughter, raised an eyebrow at her, and stuck her own tongue out in return.

Jasmine's face was priceless. She stared at my wife in shock before a slow smile spread across her face and she began giggling. Ducking back behind Keeah, she glanced shyly at me through her long, blonde hair. I smiled at her.

Sensing her discomfort at being the center of attention, I turned to her sister. "Nice to meet you Keeah. I take it you're Violet's twin?" I made the statement a question (unnecessary as they were identical, but I didn't exactly have a lot of ideas for small talk).

She smiled. "Yup, we're womb mates."

"Womb mates?" asked Rosalie. "Like room mates? That's clever; I've never heard it said like that before." She smiled at the girls. She was genuinely trying to like our children, though it was painful for her to see us with them.

Violet scoffed from her seat at the table. "Oh, sure. You guys are welcomed. I got the reenactment of the Spanish Inquisition."

"It's our charm and good looks."

Our heads all swiveled to see the young man who had spoken enter the room.

**Esme POV:**

I stared in shock at the young man who had spoken as he entered the room.

I had a drawing of him in my hand.

His name was Kristoff.

He was...

...my son.

I leaned into Carlisle's embrace, silently having a spazz attack.

I had a son.

He was standing in front of me.

It was almost incomprehensible.

I had wanted this for _so_ long, thinking that it was impossible.

But it wasn't.

I had a son.

And he was standing right in front of me.

**Emmett POV:**

The boy entered the room carrying a small, blonde girl. Not blonde like Jasper's kid - Jasmine? Yeah, I think her name's Jasmine - this girl's hair was more white blonde, while Jasmine's was honey blonde. They were obviously not related.

She hadn't been in the drawings that Violet had given to Esme either.

Huh. I wondered who she was.

"It's our charm and good looks."

Violet scoffed. "Yes, because you're so charming."

"And handsome." He smiled at her cheekily.

"Modest too."

"I know, right?"

The girl in his arms lifted her head for the first time.

"Hi Violet," she greeted her sleepily.

"Good grief, Kristoff, what did you do!?" Violet looked mildly scandalized and slightly amused, and with good reason. By lifting her head, the child had revealed a bruise along one side of her face, from her eye to just above her mouth.

"We were playing tag and she ran into a door." While he was speaking, Kristoff set the girl on her feet, after which she wandered over towards me, plopping herself down at my feet and leaning against my leg. I blinked at her, shocked.

Why was this small person touching me?

Violet knelt before the girl to get a better look at her face. "Tag or let's-see-how-many-people-we-can-get-to-call-child -protective-services."

"You are being utterly absurd. That's far to long of a name for an afternoon of childlike fun."

"Uh-huh." Violet did not look convinced.

"She ran into a door! What was I supposed to do? Shout 'careful!' after she'd already run into it? Contrary to popular belief, that doesn't actually work."

"You know that that's not going to fade for a while, right?"

"Eh." He did not look too concerned. "Rub some dirt in it, it'll be fine."

"Kristoff!"

"What?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "We should have known better than to ask him to babysit," she jokingly complained to Keeah.

"Well, he was our last resort..."

"Hey!"

She grinned. "I'll be right back with an ice pack, Sweetie," she told the girl.

An awkward silence fell over the room as soon as she'd gone. I looked around for something to talk about. My eyes stopped at the girl sitting on the floor next to me.

"So. What's your name?" I asked her. I still couldn't figure out how she fit into this whole thing.

She blinked up at me, sleepy and innocent. "Saphira. Saphira Jane McCarty. But you can call me Saphy."

I felt Rosalie stiffen next to me at the name. I just stared at the child in shock.

Violet walked back into the room.

"I got it. Here ya go, Saphy." She handed her the ice pack before noticing our stunned expressions.

"What?"

"You didn't see fit to mention to us that we also had a child?" Rosalie asked increduously.

**A/N: Hi everyone!**

**Not a lot in this chapter, I know, but I needed to introduce some characters and get some reactions in there. Hopefully, things will start to pick up soon. **

**So, what did you think of Angel, Jasmine, Keeah, Kristoff, and Saphy?**

**Okay, so a lot of you have been asking why Jasper and the guys don't remember any of this. The answer is: Violet doesn't know. **

**She doesn't know because...I also don't know...#cone of shame... My logical train of thought stopped after I figured out why the Moms didn't remember, so I'm still working on the explanation. I****f any of you have good ideas, leave it in a review! I welcome suggestions.**

******Got six reviews again on the last chapter guys! Keep it up, this is awesome :) Can we try for seven? I think yes!**


	9. Let's Go Shopping!

**Disclaimer: I still do not own anything recognizable...I know this comes as a shock to you all...**

**Okay, so as per request I'm going to make a list of the kids and who they belong to to avoid confusion :)**

**Who we've met:**

**Alice and Jasper's kids - Violet, Keeah, Angel, Jasmine**

**Carlisle and Esme's kids - Kristoff**

**Rosalie and Emmett - Saphira (aka Saphy)**

**Who we haven't met yet, but they've been mentioned:**

**Alice and Jasper's kids - Jake, Kristi**

**Carlisle and Esme's kids - Lizzie, Sophie**

**We have a few more to meet yet, I'll add them into the list as we meet them.**

**On with the story!**

**Rosalie POV:**

I sat on the edge of my bed, several drawings clenched in my hands desperately. I had wanted this for so unbelievably long. Now that I had a chance to actually look at what my real children that I actually gave birth to looked like and not just wishful imaginings of what my kids would have, could have, even should have looked like, I was not going to let them go anytime soon.

It had been three days since Violet had woken up. Three days since all of our lives had changed with the arrival of five kids.

Three days since I had found out that I had children.

Three days since I met my daughter.

I looked at the drawings in my hand again. I'd studied them so many times over the past three days that the papers were now crinkled and creased. Actually, I was suprised they hadn't torn yet.

The first depicted a gorgeous girl with black curly hair falling down to her waist named Ferrin. A half-smile was pasted across her tired face as she posed for the picture, one arm carefully cradling a baby to her chest while her other hand held an adorable toddler's hand. The toddler had his mother's curly hair and dimples as he stood, excitement evident in his eyes.

I had been shocked to discover that, not only did I have children, but I had grandchildren as well. The toddler and the baby girl were both Ferrin's children.

I studied the picture once more. Something about this girl made me feel like I would be able to relate to her. Maybe it was because of the look in her eyes. She looked...sad. More than sad, devastated. I didn't know why.

Putting the drawing aside, I focussed on the next one: Kaleb. He was my second oldest child and my only son. Big and muscular like Emmett, I could see the playfulness in his smile as he jumped to shoot a basketball at a ratty, old hoop. He was in jeans and a button-up, a tie clearly visible hanging off the porch railing in the background; apparently, he'd just gotten home from work, spontaneously deciding to shoot some hoops before going inside.

The last picture was of three girls: Loraine, Sam, and Jade. Violet claimed that they were triplets, though they looked nothing like each other. I could see the obvious family resemblance, but the way they carried themselves was totally different.

The first, Sam, had a soccer ball under her feet and a huge smile on her face. She wore absolutely no makeup and dressed simply in a baseball jersey and sport shorts with her blonde, curly hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. As I studied the drawing, I decided that she seemed to be laughing at whatever the world may throw at her.

The one in the middle, Loraine, was dressed very differently. Her makeup was perfect, not a hair was out of place. Clad in a designer top, skinny jeans, and heeled boots, she carried herself with an arrogant grace that I was very familiar with. She was beautiful, she knew it, and she knew that everyone else knew it too.

The last girl, Jade, scared me a little. Her jet black hair was streaked with bright colors and straightened into an edgy, dangerous style. Dressed all in black, she looked like a seducing-double-agent-gang-member with her knee high boots, skinny jeans, and extremely form fitting top. She was smirking at the artist with absolute confidance, like she didn't give a crap about anything and anyone that might condemn her style.

I spread the drawings out on the comforter, adding in the last one that Violet had drawn of Saphy. She'd felt bad that she'd missed the fact that we had kids, even though she'd looked for them. I'd already forgiven her; it was, after all, only a misunderstanding. When Violet was looking at our futures, she'd heard the last names Cullen, Whitlock, and Hale: the names we had been using. Our kids, however, had been going by the last name McCarty: Emmett's human last name and our married name.

Emmett cleared his throat from the doorway, causing me to jump, startled.

"Hey babe."

I turned to smile at my husband. "Hi."

He moved closer, coming to sit behind me on the bed. I leaned into him as he started to massage my back. "That feels good," I commented happily.

He kissed my head in response, wrapping his arms around me. "Violet says that Saphy will be awake in about fifteen minutes. You may want to get ready for the day."

"Mmmkay," I chirped happily, starting to rise. Or, at least, trying to. I looked back at my husband, confused when he didn't let me go. He gave me a cheeky grin.

"I said you may want to, I didn't say I was going to let you," he informed me.

"Emmett..." My protest was cut off when he pulled my head around to kiss me. I moaned as his tongue wandered into my mouth. If I were human, I'd be hyperventilating about now.

I felt him grin against my lips before he ducked down to trail kisses up the side of my neck. I pulled myself closer for a minute before pushing him away and playfully whacking his chest. "Emmett, no. We don't have time."

"I think we have enough time," he teased, pulling me close again.

I did my best to glare at him, although the effect was ruined somewhat by the smile hovering around my lips. "And what happens when our two year old daughter walks in and is scarred for life at the sight of us half-naked on the bed?"

"Only half-naked?" he asked playfully.

I swatted his hand away from my chest, grinning at him. "Not naked at all," I informed him, laughing as he pouted in response. Jumping up and heading for the closet, I winked over my shoulder.

"Later," I promised.

"I'll hold you to that."

I pulled on a cute, but comfy outfit, grabbing a matching necklace and bracelet from my jewelry box on the way out. I walked back into our room, where Emmett was still laying comfortably on the bed, having found a football to entertain himself while I was in the closet. I smiled. He knew very well how long it took me to get ready.

I sat at my vanity table, looking into the mirror as I applied eyeshadow and mascara. Hummng to myself, I was just about to set to work on my lips when I noticed a sleepy blonde girl peeking at me around the doorframe. I grinned.

Emmett gave me a questioning look through the mirror and I nodded towards our youngest daughter. He smiled.

"I see you over there, Miss Nosy."

A little yelp came from the doorway as she tumbled backwards into the hallway, caught spying on us. Emmett laughed, hopping off the bed and running out of the room.

"I'm gonna get you!" I heard shrieks and giggles as he chased her down the hallway.

"No, you're not!" she yelled, before squealing with laughter.

"Is that so?"

I lauged as my husband walked back into our room, Saphira slung over his shoulder.

"Put me down!" she giggled.

"Alright."

He dumped her on the bed and proceded to tickle her.

She shrieked, laughing hysterically and wiggling to get away.

"No! Stop it! Stop it!"

Emmett obliged, sitting up to lean against the bed post. She righted herself. "That wasn't very nice," she informed him sternly.

"Nope. But I caught you, so I got to tickle you."

"You cheated!"

"I did not!"

I went back to my makeup as they continued to banter back and forth on whether Emmett had actually caught her on his own merit or if she had let him. A few minutes later, I was done.

"Come here, sweetie," I told Saphy.

Obediently, she hopped off of the bed and came to sit by me as I pulled my hairbrush out of a drawer.

"Turn around." She did so, and I began to brush through her long, golden hair. As I pulled it into a french braid, I smiled. I had always wanted to do this. Quickly, I finished and tied it off.

"Are you hungry? Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, please!" she exclaimed. I took her hand and we went over to Emmett, who let us go first through the door before grabbing onto her other hand. Together, we walked down the stairs.

"Morning Saphy!" called Violet from her spot on the couch. Keeah grinned up at her from her seat on the floor.

"Morning!" Saphy replied.

She skipped to the kitchen, where Angel and Jasmine were already eating toast and strawberries.

"Here you go." Alice slid a plate of toast over to Saphy the second she sat down. "There's more on the counter," she added as Violet and Keeah strolled into the room.

"Thanks!" Violet chirped cheerfully, going to get herself some food. Keeah just smiled shyly and went to stand near Jasper, who was leaning against the counter.

"So," Alice asked pleasantly, "do you girls have anything planned for today?" Keeah shook her head and Violet beamed.

"Oh, that's an excellent idea!" she squealed.

"What?" asked Emmett.

"Shopping!" she replied enthusiastically.

Kristoff groaned from the doorway. "Please tell me that I'm not going to be forced to come along and carry your bags again!" he joked.

"At least you've never been shopping with Alice," commented Jasper. "You'd be scarred for life."

"Why, does she like shopping too?"

"It's alright," Alice replied innocently.

There was a simultaneous snort of amusement from myself, Emmett, and Jasper.

"She's a nightmare to shop with. She just keep going and going and going and going and she doesn't stop!" replied Emmett.

"Hey now!" Alice protested.

"Sorry, Darlin'. You know it's true." Jasper smiled at her innocently.

"I'm not that bad!"

"Didn't you make the clerk cry last time?" I reminded her.

"Well...yeah..."

We laughed at her.

"Good! It'll be nice to have a shopping partner who doesn't complain the whole trip," Violet commented.

Keeah nodded in agreement, a smile lighting up her face.

"Yeah, but I still have to bring the bags in," Kristoff complained jokingly.

"Do you want to come, Rose?" Alice asked. "We could have a girls only day!"

I smiled, thinking it over. I did need some new tops... "Why not?"

"Yay!" Alice squealed. "Let me go get changed and then we'll leave!" She kissed Jasper on the cheek and ran upstairs.

"Will you two be alright here?" I asked Emmett anxiously.

"Of course," he replied. "You go have fun!"

"Alright." I smiled. "Be good," I told Saphy, smoothing her hair out of her face.

"I'm always good," she replied, innocently batting her eyelashes at me.

"Uh-huh." I was not convinced. "I love you."

"Bye!"

My daughter had not told me she loved me back yet, nor had she called me mom, but I was alright with that. We had, after all, only met three days ago. It was a lot to take in. I would wait until she was ready to say it back to me.

I led the twins out to my M3 as Alice bounded down the stairs.

"Ready!" she called, giving Jasper a hug before following us to the garage.

I grinned as we pulled out of the driveway and headed for Port Angeles, basking in the overall good mood that filled the car.

Little did I know that the ride home would not be so cheerful.

**A/N: Hello!**

**Yay, Rosalie has a family :) What did you think of Saphy?**

**Sorry that this is kind of short. I only got four reviews on the last chapter, so I wasn't feeling very motivated. :( I did my best, though.**

**Please review! I think we can do seven!**


	10. Maria's Return

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer still owns all things recognizable.**

**A/N: So, again, the kids of each couple (oldest to youngest) are and how old they appear to be*:**

**Alice and Jasper's kids - Jake 25, Kristi 20, Violet 15, Keeah 15, Angel 6, Jasmine 6**

**Rosalie and Emmett's kids - Ferrin 30, Kaleb 25, Loraine 18, Sam 18, Jade 18, Saphy 6**

**Esme and Carlisle's kids - Lizzie 25, Kristoff 25, Sophie 20**

***I haven't told you how old they all really are yet, so I'll put that in in a later chapter. This is how old they appear to be, though.**

**We haven't met all of them yet, but all have been mentioned.**

**On with the story!**

**Alice POV:**

To my intense surprise, I found my mood steadily improving as we got farther away from Forks. As we talked and giggled about random things, the radio going full-blast, I started to relax. We were, after all, going shopping (my favorite hobby), and it wasn't like anyone would be able to hurt me; the Port Angeles mall was always crowded this time of year so there would be plenty of witnesses to prevent anything bad happening to me.

As we pulled into the mall parking lot, I was practically bouncing in my seat from excitement. It really had been too long since I'd last gone shopping.

"Alright girls," Rosalie said cheerfully, "where are we going first?"

And we were off. We hit every store on the lower level of the mall, giggling and critiquing different outfits. By noon, we had too many bags to carry.

"Why don't we drop our bags off at your car and then go get some lunch?" Violet suggested. "Then we won't have to carry them around all day."

Rosalie and I looked at each other, surprised. "You two eat?" It hadn't even occured to me, I just assumed that they drank blood.

Violet shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, sometimes. Most demis prefer blood, but we like human food too. And Kay and I are going to need the extra energy." This last part was said darkly, with a sense of foreboding to it.

"Is it Maria?"

I blinked in surprise at Keeah. This was the first time I'd heard her talk.

"I don't know. Maybe." Violet looked annoyed at the lack of certainty. "Whoever it is keeps changing their mind."

Keeah nodded thoughtfully. "Well, extra energy can't hurt. Might as well be cautious."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking."

They both turned to look at us. "So, shall we go drop off our bags?"

"Um...sure."

"Shouldn't you be a tad more concerned that there's a sadistic vampire who might be on your trai?" Rosalie asked sarcastically. Well, let it never be said that Rosalie Hale McCarty was anything but blunt.

"Well, what's worrying going to do? It's not like it will fix anything or help the situation."

We looked at each other and shrugged before going off to put our stuff in the car.

After lunch at Subway, we strolled upstairs to shop some more.

"Ooooh, let's go in there!" Violet squealed, pointing at a resale shop called One Girl's Treasure. Rosalie raised an eyebrow. I looked at the shop. It was much less fancy than what I usually shopped at; old, out of style clothes lined the windows.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Of course!"

Without further ado, I was pulled into the store.

"It's perfect!" Violet looked around, seemingly satisfied.

"What?! There are no cute clothes in this entire store!" Rosalie looked a bit scandalized and even I had to admit that I was questioning Violet's taste. She just rolled her eyes at us.

"Oh, pish-posh. You just need to look. Besides, that's the point! It's the perfect place to play We-Mix."

"Play what?"

"We-Mix. We pick out the ugliest piece of clothing we can find for each person and they have five minutes to find other clothes and accessories to turn it into a cute outfit. Whoever ends up with the best outfit wins!"

"Sounds fun!" I said. We all looked at Rosalie.

"Oh, what the heck? What's my starting piece?" The girls squealed with excitement while I looked around the store.

"This!" I said triumphantly as I spotted a pair of rainbow cheetah print leggings, grabbing it off the shelf and handing it to her.

"You're on!" Violet tossed me a oversized ugly Christmas sweater and Keeah a very flamboyant purple hat with a fake bird's nest on top. Rosalie gave her a pair of ratty, pink, camoflauge combat boots with a hole in the toe.

Instantly, we were searching the shop for anything and everything that could make our respective articles of clothing transform from appaling to appealing. I was happily searching through the clearance rack when I suddenly recognized the scent of vampire.

"Alice?"

I spun around. "Charlotte! Peter! What a pleasant surprise!"

"What is that?" Charlotte looked amused as she pointed to the ugly sweater hanging off my arm.

"Um...the ugliest thing Violet could find?"

"Violet? Where is she?" A girl I hadn't noticed stepped out from behind Peter as she was talking. She had scars decorating her exposed skin and a slight southern accent. Her white blonde hair was streaked with various neon colors and she wore a shirt exposing her entire midriff, including her pierced belly-button. "Is Keeah here too?"

"Yeah, they're right over there. Why?"

"What's going on?" Violet appeared, quite literally, out of nowhere behind the girl. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Keeah drag Rosalie over to us.

"Maria's coming. I got these two out right before she ambushed their home. She's furious that you left; you know that you're not supposed to until your vacation next month. She's on her way and she'll use anyone to get to you - including Angel and Jasmine."

"Crap." Violet looked thoughtful for a second. "Where are Des and Lissa?"

"In the car."

She nodded and exchanged a significant glance with Keeah.

"Oh dear," Keeah remarked. "I do believe that I'm beginning to come down with something. I feel rather ill. Rosalie, would you bring me home?" she blinked innocently.

"Of...course?"

"Oh, you poor thing," added Violet. "It's a good thing our friends happened to stop by with their car. Now Alice and I can finish up while you two head out. We'll be home shortly."

"Alright."

Without further ado, Keeah dragged Rosalie out of the store with Peter, Charlotte, and the other girl right behind them.

**Jasper POV: (right after the girls left to go shopping)**

I smiled as I heard the girls drive away, radio blasting, and I felt the overall good mood in the car. I was glad that Alice would have a chance to go shopping; maybe she would feel better afterwards.

Of course, that left me with three children that were practically strangers, my adopted brother, and a snarky demi-vamp teenager to deal with.

This was going to be fun.

Emmett seemed to be thinking along the same lines as the tree girls finished up their breakfasts. "So. What do you guys want to do today?" He asked.

"Can we watch the Powerpuff Girls?" asked Saphy.

Emmett and I looked at each other over their heads. He raised an eyebrow and I shrugged. I had no clue what she was talking about.

"Yeah!" Angel agreed enthusiastically.

"The Whosie-ma-Whatchit?" Emmett asked, confused.

"The Powerpuff Girls!"

He looked at her, still confused.

"You've never heard of the Powerpuff Girls!?" Angel looked scandalized as Emmett shook his head. Both girls looked over at me. I just shrugged again.

"Kristoff!"

"It's a tv show," he explained calmly, rolling his eyes. "It's these three girls with powers that go around saving people and making the police look like idiots that can't do their job."

"Hey!" the girls protested.

"Well? It's true. The police work hard every day to keep people safe and I do not approve of the way that show portrays them."

"Well, either way, now we _have_ to watch it. You two need to see it!" Angel informed us imperiously. Saphy nodded.

"Definitely."

They both hopped down and grabbed our hands, dragging us toward the living room. I looked over at Jasmine, who was still sitting at the bar. "Are you coming?"

She shrugged, but got up and followed us.

Angel dragged me over to the couch and sat on my lap as Emmett turned on Netflix. Jasmine hovered near the door uncertainly for a second before coming to sit on the floor near my feet, but not near enough for me to be able to touch her.

"Do you guys have a specific episode you wanted to watch?"

"The first one, because you guys haven't seen any of them yet."

"Okay, then." Emmett pressed play on the first episode and sat back on the couch with Saphy cuddling into his side. The screen was dark for a second before a very dramatic narrator started to speak:

"Sugar. Spice. And everything nice. These were the ingrediants chosen to create the perfect little girl. But Professer Utonium accidentally added an extra ingrediant to the concoction: Chemical X! Thus, the Powerpuff Girls were born!"

It played through a theme song before introducing us to the City of Townsville. As it continued to play, we met Buttercup, Blossom, and Bubbles: three very distractable little girls who seemed to destroy a lot of stuff in their quest for goodness and liked to state the obvious.

Then we met the villian of the story; a creepy talking monkey with fangs and a green face named Mojo Jojo, who was very redundant.

Don't ask me _why_ these three little girls were in charge of the town's safety when a security upgrade would work just as well. Oh, well. The girls seemed to enjoy it at least.

After it was over, we played outside for a bit with Kristoff, who decided to stick around with us after he heard that Carlisle and Esme had gone on a quick hunting trip and would be back later in the afternoon and that Edward was off to stalk - ahem, I mean take out on a date- Bella again. A few hours later, we all came back in and the girls started coloring.

"Look, Emmett. I drew a princess!" Saphy held it up so that he could see it clearly.

"I like it! Very pretty." I grinned. My adopted brother looked menacing, but he was a big softie at heart.

Angel tugged on my hand impatiently. "Looklooklooklooklook!" I looked.

She was holding up a paper with a man and a woman drawn on it holding hands. The woman had a huge smile on her face and the man's face also had a small smile across it. They were surrounded by six children, all of them happy and playing.

"It's our family!" she exclaimed. "See? We're so happy."

I nodded, speechless. We did look happy. Her childlike interpretation of our family had touched me in a way that nothing ever had before. For a brief second, I could actually see myself as a father.

She looked up at me, still expecting a reaction.

"It-it's very nice, Angel," I told her. She smiled at me, satisfied with my answer, and went back to coloring. I looked around the room, searching for something to distract me from this new realization. I saw my youngest daughter coloring quietly in the corner.

"What are you coloring Jasmine?" I asked curiously. She looked up and I felt a surge of reluctance from her. That was odd, the other two were excited to show us what they'd made.

"Will you show me?" I requested.

She unenthusiastically brought it over to me. Emmett looked over my shoulder at it curiously.

It did not form a picture - instead, she had drawn a bunch lines of all shapes - and it was very dramatic with lots of red and black streaks.

"That's a really nice...umm...drawing, Jasmine." Emmett was confused.

I looked at it carefully. It seemed very...deliberate. She was drawing _something_, it wasn't just meaningless lines and scribbles. And it seemed vaguely familiar to me.

"It's anger," I realized suddenly.

Shock filled her as she slowly nodded.

"It's more than that, isn't it?" I asked her, speculating. A tiny thread of hope wound through her. She nodded again, a small smile on her face.

"Is it a person?" I guessed.

"How the heck is it a person?" asked Emmett.

Instantly, she turned sad, shyly turning away.

"It's a person." I made it a statement this time to give her more confidence. And it _was_ a person - in an abstract sense of the word.

Every person has an emotional baseline that defines who they are. With my gift, I could see those emotions as colors sometimes, particularly if I knew them well. Jasmine had captured one of these emotional baselines in her drawing.

It was a woman. She was very angry. She was not kind or gentle. She had almost a sadistic edge to her.

"It's Maria," I realized suddenly. An inexplicable joy emanated from her as she nodded, eagerly this time. I smiled at her.

"Really?" I asked, pleased that I had gotten it right. I looked back at the drawing. "It's very good," I told her.

She beamed at me before running back over to her corner and grabbing more drawings. She brought them over to me, extremely excited, and offered them to me to look at.

Before I could take them, though, Keeah burst into the room, Rosalie hot on her heels. "Angel. Jasmine. Saphy." she called them, her expression dead serious. Instantly, they were at her side.

"Yes, Keeah?" all three asked simultaneously.

"C'mon. I need you to be quiet and I need you to do what I say immediately after I say it."

"Yes, Keeah."

"Make sure you clean up any evidence that they were here," she ordered me. "I want it to look like they never set foot within fifty feet of this house." I felt the bleak determination of her emotions and nodded silently. I did not particularly like her tone, but this was not a time to get into a fight over it, nor did it seem appropriate for me to question her.

She brought the kids upstairs and I began picking up the drawings, automatically sorting them by who drew them. "Emmett, put away the crayons. Hurry!"

I ducked into the living room where the tv screen was still paused over the image of Blossom, Buttercup, and Bubbles flying towards the screen. Picking up the remote, I swiftly changed it to look like we had been watching a popular sitcom that Rosalie liked. Satisfied that there were no tracces of the girls in the living room, I turned around and promptly ran into my old friend, Peter.

"Peter!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Maria destroyed our home. She..." he jutted his thumb over his shoulder to point at a teenage girl behind him. She nodded in acknowledgement before going into the kitchen. I heard the water in the sink run and the clinking of plates. Crap. I'd forgotten about the dishes. I followed her, still listening with one ear to Peter. "...and her brother got us out right before a firebomb demolished the place. Granted, we were going to leave by the end of the week, but still. After they got us out, they dragged us along to some mall and we saw your Alice with Rosalie and two other girls."

I nodded absentmindedly as I cleaned up the kitchen at top speed. We all froze as we heard a car turn up the driveway. It pulled to a stop directly in front of the house and we heard three doors open.

I felt shivers go down my spine as the one voice I wished I'd never have to hear again spoke:

"Jasper, darlin'. I know you're in there. And I know those other two traitors are in there with you."

I motioned with my head for Charlotte, Peter, and the blonde girl to follow me into the foyer.

"And I know you're going to listen to what I have to say, even though you don't want to, because I've got a certain someone right here with me."

I froze as I felt the familiar emotions from the front lawn.

_Alice._

The door banged open, revealing my creater, my former lover, my commander for almost a century: the vampire I had wished I would never have to look in the eyes again.

"Hello, Major," Maria purred. "Miss me?"

**A/N: Wow, guys. Only three reviews? Really? Feeling**** the love over here. I don't care if you think it sucks, but at least tell me so I can improve it.**

**Thank you to KittiKat121, Megan (guest), and Debbie93 for your input after the last chapter.**

**Here's my new deal: review and I'll give you a sneak peek of the next chapter the day before I post it it via PM.**

**I'm still looking for seven reviews on this chapter. Please? Yes? **


	11. Jasper's Death

**Disclaimer: No matter how much I write on here, I still will not magically transform into Stephanie Meyer. Sorry to disappoint.**

**This is weird...I don't think I have anything to say...**

**Thank you to those who reviewed!**

**Read on!**

**Alice POV:**

I sat in the backseat of the car watching Maria smirk triumphantly over at Violet, who was staring, bored, out the window. I finally could _see_ properly again and I scanned our future frantically.

_"Jasper, darlin'. I know you're in there. And I know those other two traitors are in there with you."_

_He motioned with his head for Charlotte, Peter, and the blonde girl to follow him into the_ foyer.

How dare she call him darling? Yes, it was a Southern thing, but still! She had no right!

_"And I know you're going to listen to what I have to say, even though you don't want to, because I've got a certain someone right here with me."_

_He froze, a look of horror upon his face._

I could easily guess why that look was there. The only way either one of us would ever look that horrified was if the other was threatened. It must be me she was talking about.

_The door banged open, revealing the very vampire I had wished that he would never have to set eyes on again._

_"Hello, Major," Maria purred. "Miss me?"_

Our future suddenly went black again. Ugh! Stupid, unreliable visions! Now what was I supposed to do?

A small voice whispered in the back of my head that maybe it had disappeared because something bad was going to happen. I quickly disregarded it. My visions had been all out of whack for the past week, and if I thought too much about what might happen then I would go insane.

I watched Maria smirk at me in the rearview mirror again, almost as if she knew exactly why I was frustrated.

I continued to worry as we pulled up to our house, and was only brought out of my musings when I was - rather roughly - yanked out of the car by two very strong pairs of arms. I struggled to get away as the two vampires tightened their grips on my arms. I began to get flashbacks of my hunting misadventure.

"That's not necessary. She won't try to escape," Violet interjected, a warning tone to her voice.

"Oh, but it is. I want dear Jasper to see _exactly _who's in charge here," Maria replied vindictively. Violet let it go.

It played out exactly as it had in my vision. Maria continued to gloat about her power over us as I stood behind her in the grip of the two newborns. Jasper's panicked eyes did not leave mine the entire time.

All I could do was stare back helplessly and hope that we both made it out of this unharmed.

**Jasper POV:**

I stared in panic at my wife, in the arms of two newborns. Unpredictable, uncontrolled newborns. If they did _anything_ to hurt her, I'd...I'd...I don't know what I'd do, but it would be both violent and painful.

"That's right, Jasper. Take a good, long look. You know very well what they are capable of doing to her; what _I_ am capable of doing to her. And you know that there is nothing you can possibly do to stop me." She smiled at me sardonically. I felt my hatred toward her grow exponentially alongside Alice's terror.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I demanded desperately.

"Why?" Her eyes flashed black as her sadistically vengeful anger exploded inside her, despite her outward calm. "Because you destroyed me. Because after you _abandoned _me with those _traitors_..." she said the word as if it tasted bitter in her mouth, glaring at Peter and Charlotte. Peter glared back and stepped in front of his mate protectively. "...everything I worked for, everything I lived for, _everything _was ruined. You took away everything that meant anything to me with your insubordination. So now I'm simply returning the favor."

"You don't _own _him!" Alice suddenly spoke up, furious. "He doesn't belong to you! Just because you didn't get your way from someone you forced to do your bidding doesn't mean that it gives you the right to torment him for the rest of eternity!"

Maria smiled slowly and if my heart had been beating it would have stopped right then in fear. Now she was angry with Alice.

"On the contrary, _darling_." She said the word sarcastically. "I do own him. Because I have you." She strolled over to my wife lazily, stroking her cheek in a mockingly false gesture of kindness. I automatically moved to protect her.

I didn't even make it a single step before the newborns tightened their grips even further and Alice let out a whimper of pain. Instantly I stopped moving.

"Major, if you so much as think about moving again, then I will have to arrange something for this lovely girl of yours. Rest assured, it will be painful. Do you understand? Shake your head yes or no."

Slowly I nodded. I understood.

"Good. I'll come back to you. Now, you two on the other hand..." she turned to Peter and Charlotte. "...need to be dealt with."

"Leave them out of this," I interrupted quickly. They should not have to suffer for my mistakes.

A chill ran down my spine as she slowly turned toward Alice, totally ignoring me. "Boys," she purred. "Rip her arm off."

"No!" My agonized cry mixed with her scream of pain as the newborn on her left promptly ripped her arm from her body.

Maria didn't even glance at me, though her mood was triumphant. "Talking causes you to move. So I suggest shutting up before I tell Phillip there to burn that arm."

I shut up, my eyes locked on my wife's pained ones. She shook her head at me, trying to tell me she was fine.

Silly girl. She should know by now that she can't hide her pain from me.

"You two are coming with me," Maria informed Peter and Charlotte.

"Over my pile of ashes," Peter snarled back.

Maria grinned. "That's the idea," she purred. "Only it won't be _your _ashes." Peter and I both jumped as Charlotte snarled. While our attention had been diverted, another newborn had snuck in behind her and pulled her into a crushing headlock. "It'll be hers," Maria finished.

Peter didn't think twice. "Fine. We'll come with you. Now let her go!"

"Hmm. No. Not until we reach Monterry. I don't trust you, you see, and I want some..." Peter snarled as the newborn smugly kissed his mate on the cheek. Maria smiled before continuing. "...assurance that you'll cooperate." She turned her back on my oldest friend as he fumed helplessly.

"As for you." She slunk up to me and reached up to press a soft kiss to my lips. I ignored her, keeping my eyes on Alice. I tried to silently reassure her of my love for her and only her, sending her a wave of contentment and peace to try and soothe away her pain. She seemed to get my message; her eyes brightened the tiniest bit.

They became troubled again as five newborns suddenly smashed through the front door. Before I could even blink, I was on my knees, pinned to the carpet.

Maria kept talking. "You, my dear Major, have humiliated me and therefore angered me. And it is _not_ pretty when I get angry." Her voice turned almost seductive, not a hint of anger in her tone; it made me fear her even more than if she had yelled. She was planning something.

"I have decided," she continued, "that I won't take you back. I'm nothing if not practical and I can't risk it happening again."

"Then why are you here?" Alice interrupted desperately. "Why couldn't you just leave him alone?"

Maria turned toward her, a terrifying expression on her face. "You, my dear, are really starting to annoy. I suggest you shut up so as not to make things worse for your...husband." She sneered over the last word.

Alice stopped talking.

"But just so that y'all can get this through your heads, I came to punish him. And so I shall."

My body filled with dread as I saw the blowtorch.

"I love you," I told Alice desperately, the words tumbling to get out before it was too late. If nothing else, she had to know that.

Maria smirked. "I hope you enjoy this, Alice dear," she said, her fake sweetness dripping with sarcasm.

**Alice POV:**

"I hope you enjoy this, Alice dear." I stared at him, not comprehending what was going on. Why had he told me he loved me? Why did Maria look so triumphant?

The answer became painfully and abundantly clear as one of the newborns holding him ripped his head off and tossed it to Maria before fire began to shoot out of the blowtorch in his hand. Flames engulfed my lover's body until there was nothing left but a pile of ashes sitting on the floor.

I became aware of a strangled screaming. Oh. That was coming from me. I felt the scream turn into hysterical sobs.

Maria smiled sadistically at me before signaling to one of the newborns holding me. He grabbed my chin and forced me to watch as she ripped little pieces - his nose, his eye, part of his cheek - off of his head and threw them, one by one, into the fire. Finally, after what seemed like forever, but was probably only a few minutes, she was left with only his ear. She played with it for a second before coming over to where the newborns had dropped me onto the floor and dropping it on my lap.

"So you have something to remember him by," she hissed vindictively in my ear.

Then she summoned all her newborns and swept out the front door, taking Violet, Keeah, Peter, and Charlotte with her, and leaving me to deal with the fact that my soulmate, my reason for existence, was dead.

**A/N: Okay, so y'all are probably about ready to kill me. It's a good thing none of you know where I live or I would be a bit concerned for my well-being. I won't spoil the mood by saying anything other than please review!**

**(Oh, and I'll still give a sneak peek of the chapter a day before I post it to all who review.)**


	12. Only Mostly Dead

**Disclaimer: Stiiiiiiiil not Stephanie Meyer. **

**Wow guys! Thank you for reviewing! Note to self: when I want more reviews I need to kill off a main character. lol just kidding.**

**Edward POV:**

I stared at the peaceful waters of the small lake while waiting for Carlisle and Esme to catch up with me. After hunting they had wanted a little - ahem - quiet time together, so I'd gotten as far away as possible.

I spun around as I heard a rustling sound on my left, instantly on alert. I had not forgotten what had happened to Alice the last time she had hunted.

Snarling, I crouched into a defensive position, tracking the movement in the bushes with my eyes.

A bunny hopped innocently out of the brush.

I relaxed, feeling silly at my foolishness. It was only a bunny. I was too paranoid. I glanced around, glad that nobody was around to see that.

_Dude, you are way too tense._

"AAAAAHHHH!" I yelled, spinning around frantically at the unexpected thought. Glaring at the smug teenager leaning casually on a tree, I wondered how on earth he had managed to sneak up on me.

"Don't _do_ that!"

_You're way too easy to sneak up on. I probably could have killed you about six times before I finally made it obvious that I was here._

I rolled my eyes. "Good thing it only takes once to do the job."

_You'd be suprised._

"What?" I was confused. Once someone was dead, they were dead, right?

_Never mind. The point is, your lack of attention is a very dangerous thing to have when you have enemies. _

"I don't have enemies."

_You've met us. We are on friendly terms. About half the world would love to kill you just for that._

He _must_ be joking. "Whatever."

He smiled angelically back at me. "Suit yourself. Can't say I didn't warn you."

_Oh, and Carlisle and Esme are right behind you._

"Warn you about what?"

"GAAAAHHH!"

Esme blinked at me, confused at my reaction to her simple question.

"Nothing Mom," I replied, shooting yet another glare at Kristoff.

"Edward Masen Cullen, don't glare at your brother like that!" she gave me a look.

_Honestly, Edward. We want him to feel _welcome_ here, remember?_

"It's fine, Esme," Kristoff spoke up. "I deserved it."

We all blinked at him in suprise. Well, at least the punk took responsibility for it when he was at fault, I'd give him that much.

Esme recovered first. "Well. Aren't you going to apologize?"

"For what?" questioned Kristoff.

"For...whatever you did to deserve it."

He thought about it for a second.

"No, probably not." He smiled charmingly at my adopted mother. "Shall we go home?" he asked innocently.

Carlisle and Esme exchanged a loaded glance before realizing that that was the best they were going to get; Kristoff was already halfway across the clearing, heading towards the house.

We hurried after him.

"So..." Carlisle started awkwardly when we had caught up and nothing else had been said. "Why are you out here?"

"I needed to hunt and I was sick of watching Powerpuff Girls," he replied easily, climbing easily on top of a log that crossed the river. After jumping on it a few times to make sure it was sturdy, he held out a hand to help Esme up before continuing on to the other side.

"The Whoosie-Ma-Whatchits?" asked Carlisle, confusion echoing throughout his thoughts.

"The Powerpuff Girls. It's a tv show that the girls like."

"Ah."

There was another long, awkward silence.

I stopped, suprised, as I realized something. "Wait a minute! How'd you know?!"

"Know what?"

"About my gift?" I demanded. I was certain I hadn't told him of my mind reading abilities; I'd been trying to keep it from all of them.

_What, that you can read minds? _He smirked at me again. "You're not exactly subtle, dude."

I opened my mouth to reply, but suddenly found myself overwhelmed with mental images.

Maria.

Ripping.

Jasper, kneeling on the ground.

Agony.

Fear of the newborns.

What the heck was going on with my family?!

_EDWARD! Listen up dude, I need you to pay attention! Edward if you can hear me, I need you to say 'I like pumpkins' out loud. Right! Now!_

Um... "I like pumpkins?"

I searched for the unfamiliar voice, ignoring my adoptive parents' confused thoughts.

_Thank goodness. Pay attention, this is really important! Run home while you watch._ "We need to go," I said absently, breaking into a dead sprint toward home. To my suprise, Kristoff kept up with me easily. I watched, cringing, as the person - who I had finally identified as Violet - showed me all that we had missed on our hunting trip.

"No!" I exclaimed, faltering as I watched my brother's death.

_KEEP RUNNING! You and Kristoff need to get there as __SOON AS POSSIBLE. Like, you should have been there five minutes ago. MOVE IT!_

I doubled my pace, explaining frantically to Kristoff what was going on. I don't think I was very clear; his thoughts were confused as we leapt over the river and burst into our house.

They immediately turned to understanding as he took in the scene before him.

"How long?" he asked, sprinting to the kitchen. He was back with a strainer as Violet replied.

_Five minutes, forty-three seconds._

"Five minutes, forty-three seconds," I dutifully repeated. I didn't know what was going on, but I knew better than to interfere.

"Cutting it kinda close, don't you think?" he muttered sarcastically.

_Well, excuse me for not being able to contact you while I'm in a car with a hostile vampire intent on his demise. If she knew I was doing everything in my power to make sure that he doesn't die, then she'd come back there and make _sure_ he was dead._

I relayed her message. Kristoff rolled his eyes, pulling two sealed glass beakers filled to the brim with a thick, red liquid from inside of his coat.

"I assume there's a chunk that wasn't burned." Tact was definitely not his strong point.

_His ear. Alice has it. Oh, eventually, you'll need to fix Alice's arm. _

Kristoff nodded absently as I told him this.

"Grab it. Hurry," he ordered.

I did as I was told, gently extracting it from Alice's hand and tossing it to him.

_Edward, don't let Alice do anything stupid!_ Violet ordered. _I'm about to go out of your range. When you can't hear me anymore, tell Kristoff. I'll be back in two weeks. If I can come back, anyway. Be safe. Don't be stupid..._

Her internal voice faded out. "I can't hear her anymore," I told Kristoff.

"That's fine, I've got this done."

I looked over to see that he'd run the red liquid - which I could now smell was blood - through the strainer, saturating the entire pile of ashes with it. It was also smeared thickly over the ear.

"What did you do?" Alice asked shakily.

"Gave him a chance to live," he replied.

"So...he might...be okay?" she questioned tremulously. I couldn't blame her; the hope that Jasper might possibly still be alive was the only thing keeping her from going insane at the moment.

"Maybe."

"Why?"

"He's not all dead. He's only mostly dead. There's a big difference between mostly dead and all dead."

"What's the difference?" I asked curiously.

"Mostly dead means that he's slightly alive. When he's all dead, there's usually only one thing you can do."

"What?"

"Go through his pockets and look for loose change."

I blinked at him.

"_What?_" Now I was even more confused.

"Never mind. I'll try and make it simple. Vampires are very, very hard to kill. If even one part is left unburned and the ashes aren't spread out, then it's possible to revive said vampire if you reach him in time."

"How much time?" Alice asked fearfully.

"Seven minutes. I reached him before six minutes were up. It's cutting it close, but if he has reason enough to live and we're very careful and persistant, then he'll pull through."

"How do you do it?" I wondered. "What revives him?"

"Lots and lots of blood," he replied, throwing me five glass beakers.

"Get hunting, Orion. He needs more deer blood, this'll only last him for about..." He squinted at his watch. "...eight minutes and thirty-two seconds longer. Take someone with you and send them back with the flasks as you fill them."

I didn't question him, instead running out into the woods, grabbing Carlisle on the way.

**Jasper POV:**

Pain.

Lots of pain.

Agonizing, excrutiating, racking, torturous, fierce, violently extreme pain.

It was all I could comprehend for a timeless moment.

Then, the pain doubled. And I could think again.

What was going on? Where was I? Where was Alice?

I searched my memory for the last thing I could remember.

A blowtorch.

A violently beautiful face twisted into a malicious smile that I shuddered away from.

Words. Desperate words. I had needed to communicate _something_ with _someone_.

What? Who?

_I love you._

I remembered hearing the words falling desperately from my lips.

_Alice._

Finally, my mind granted me with a beautiful picture of my angel; a memory. I studied it closely.

She stared at me worriedly from the grip of two newborns, one arm torn completely from her body.

What was wrong?

Why was she hurt?

Slowly, ever so slowly, the pieces began to come together and I remembered more and more of the hours before my...well, I'd thought it was my death...became clear.

Where was Alice? Was she alright? Had she escaped Maria's wrath?

As my mind began to clear, I began to hear voices around me.

"No! I'm not leaving him! You can't make me!"

"Alice..."

"NO!"

"Kristoff needs to check on him."

"I. DON'T. CARE! I'm NOT leaving his side!

"Let her stay."

The voices faded out as blackness blotted out all of my senses and I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. Well, it was better than the pain, I supposed.

A while later the blackness began to fade in increments and I slowly became aware of sounds again. I still couldn't see. I also noticed that I could feel nothing, only numb.

"I don't get it. Why did pouring blood over him save him?"

"Vampires have the same circulatory system as humans do - obviously, you all used to be human - and blood still flows through your body. Your body uses the blood to heal itself. It's like a natural cure to almost anything that could potentially harm you. That's why vampires don't get sick or injured very easily and why you heal so fast if you do."

"But wouldn't I have noticed if I still had blood flowing through me?"

"The blood is mixed in with the venom. The venom coats and transforms it, causing it to move through your body at a much slower pace than the average human's would. It almost looks like it's not moving. That's why you need to hunt every two weeks or so to get more blood; because the blood your body produces is not getting to all the parts of your body quick enough to maintain your health for long periods of time."

"So...by pouring blood onto his ashes..."

"...I just gave him a huge energy boost so that his cells would have enough strength to piece themselves back together. The ashes absorbed the blood since he wasn't completely dead yet; you still had his ear."

The blackness descended back over my senses, blotting out whatever he was going to say next.

I awoke to hysterical sobbing.

"Alice, calm down. He's going to be alright. He's going to be okay."

"But what if he isn't!? He's been lying there for six days straight!"

"Alice, calm down. His body needs time to recover."

"But...!"

"Calm!"

My Alice needed to be calm. I could help with that. Anything for her.

I worked to send out a wave of calm. I felt my strength dwindle as the emotion left me.

"Did you feel that?"

"Crap! His energy reserves have been depleted! Quick, I need more blood."

"You're going to be okay." Her incredulous whisper was the last thing I heard before I drifted off again.

It was black for a long time this time.

Too long.

It was starting to irritate me.

I wanted to hear my Alice's voice again.

Scratch that.

I wanted to actually _see _my Alice again, to make absolutely_ sure_ that she was alright.

I pushed back against the blackness, fighting it with all my strength. I slowly became more and more aware of my surroundings. Soft, even breathing was coming from my left. I could feel a warm pressure on my side. A dim light was in front of me.

Why was it dim?

Oh. Right. My eyes were closed.

I worked to open them and eventually succeeded.

I was laying on the bed in Alice and I's room. The shades were pulled over the window, the lights were off, and the door was closed. Soft music was playing in the backgroung; I recognized my favorite piece by Tchaikovsky.

I glanced down to see my wife snuggled into my side, her eyes closed, her emotions fighting for calm.

"Alice?"

Immedietly, her head snapped up and her eyes met mine.

"Jasper?" she asked tentitively.

I tried to nod, but found that my head was much to heavy to lift. I settled for staring back at her, rememorizing her gorgeous face.

"Alice," I replied.

A half laugh, half sob came out of her throat.

"Oh, Jasper. You're okay!"

**A/N: Aw, come on guys. I couldn't really kill Jasper. He's the best character! I did find reading your reactions to be very entertaining, though. Your indignation on Alice's behalf was very sweet. **

**Thank you to all who reviewed/favorited/followed this story after the last chapter!**

**If you're bored waiting for my next update, you can always go check out my other stories! *winkwinknudgenudgeshovesyouindirectionofmyprofile page* And while you're there, you might as well review them ;)**

**As always, a sneak peek of the next chapter the day before I update to all who review!**

**P.S. By the way, did anyone spot the Princess Bride quote? Teehee, I couldn't resist, it's like the best movie ever. ;)**


	13. I Like What You've Done With the Place

**Disclaimer: The exact same disclaimer that you've read for the past twelve chapters.**

**Jasper POV:**

I blinked in confusion at my wife, who stared at me worriedly, her bottom lip tucked between her teeth.

"What's going on?" I asked. Well, I tried to anyway. Really, it came out more as: "Wazzgonon?"

She laughed at me, smoothing my hair out of my forehead.

"You're okay." She looked like she would be crying if she could.

"I am?" It came out like a question. I was dizzy. I tried to think through the chaos that was my thoughts.

Worry exuded from her. "Yes," she insisted.

I gave up on trying to think, instead deciding to just trust her. I stared at her, trying to rememorize her face; it was much more enjoyable. "Okay."

She gave me a small smile, reaching to touch my face again. I leaned into her caress as memories began to swirl to the surface.

"What happened? I remember...pain. Maria was here. Your arm!" I suddenly remembered that she had been injured and worked to sit myself up so I could make sure she was alright.

"Shh." She pushed me gently back down. I grabbed onto her, determined to keep her as close to me as possible. A faint smile curled across her face as she cuddled into my side. "Don't move too much, you're still healing. I'm fine, see?" She displayed her arm for me. "Kat fixed it."

My head was spinning again - so many questions were whirling around my brain. I decided to start with the easiest.

"You're okay?" I double checked.

A strangled laugh sounded out of her. "You nearly die and you wonder if _I'm_ okay. Of course." She rolled her eyes at me. I ignored her sarcasm, focussing on her arm. I didn't want her to be in unnecessary pain.

Her eyes followed my gaze and she laughed again as she realized that I wasn't about to let it go. "Yes. I'm fine. Kat fixed my arm as soon as we were sure that you weren't going to die immediately."

"Who's Kat?"

"Peter and Charlotte's oldest daughter. She was the one who came home with Keeah early from our shopping trip; she was the one that warned us that Maria was coming."

I vaguely remembered a blonde girl cleaning some dishes - hiding evidence. The girl was a soldier. If anyone would know how to reattach a limb, it would be her.

I nodded, satisfied, and pulled her back toward me. "What happened? I can only remember pieces of it."

Her head shot up as she stared at me searchingly, worriedly. Panic dominated her emotions. "You can't remember stuff!?"

Alice's lack of a memory from her human life was a sore point with her. I knew that she wished, more than just about anything, to have her memories back. I should have realized that my difficulty piecing together what had happened would concern her.

"It's all there, and it's all becoming more clear as time goes on, I'm just a little fuzzy on the details," I told her, trying to reassure her as best as I could. It worked, but not as much as I would have liked. Some of the tension left her body, but the little pucker she got in between her eyebrows when she was upset didn't go away.

I reached up and gently tried to smooth it away with my fingertip.

"I'm okay, Alice." She didn't believe me, I could tell from her emotions. "I'm alright."

She hugged herself closer to me, burying her head in my chest.

"I thought I lost you," she whispered shakily. "It hurt."

I knew what she meant. Just the thought of the world without Alice in it made my heart ache a little. I couldn't imagine the pain I would go through if I had to watch her be brutally murdered three feet in front of me. I wrapped my arms around her, trying to put as much comfort into our embrace as I could.

"I will always love you." If nothing else, she must know that. There was not a truer statement in the world. "Always," I emphasized.

"But you were dead." She said the words flatly, without emotion, but I could feel the pain behind them.

Gently, I turned her face toward me until I could look her in the eye.

"Death cannot stop true love. All it can do is delay it for a while."

The pain receded from her emotions until all that was left was a tiny shadow of it in the back of her eyes. She trusted me enough to accept my word, but she would definitley not be letting me out of her sight for a while.

Fine by me. I wasn't letting her go anytime soon anyway.

Wordlessly, we held each other close for a long, long time.

~ TheVioletContradiction ~

"What!?" I sighed. I knew Alice would be upset about my decision, but that didn't make it any less necessary.

I'd spent the past day or so lying in bed, recovering from the near death experience. As I remembered more of the encounter, I started to worry about Peter and Charlotte. I wasn't sure why Maria decided to keep them and kill me, but I knew that it was my fault that they were forced to go with her; if she hadn't been looking for me, they would have been left alone, I was sure.

I could not just abandon them to her. I was going to go after them and get them back.

Alice was not pleased.

"No!" she insisted.

"Alice," I tried to reason with her, "they're my oldest friends. You and I both know that they don't deserve to be enslaved to Maria. I can't just abandon them; they're practically family."

"_No!_" My pixie was nothing if not stubborn. "No, no, no! I almost lost you to her not even a week ago and you want to go back!?"

Anger and fear were the dominant emotions radiating from her, but I wondered a bit at the insecurity. I filed it away to think over later.

"Lissy," I pulled her gently to me, trying to soothe away her fear, "I'll be absolutely fine. I don't _want_ to go back; if I never saw Maria again, it would be too soon. But if it were us, I'd want somebody to come for me."

Her emotions didn't change.

I sighed. Time to pull the Ace out of my sleeve. "And besides," I told her, "our children are down there too. I want them as far away from Maria as possible. They shouldn't be shackled to her because of my past sins."

I felt her resolve wavering. Finally, she spoke up:

"You'll be absolutely safe?"

"Yes."

"You'll come back home to me without a scratch?"

"Yes. Go in, find them, get out."

"Not dangerous in any way, shape, or form?" She studied me skeptically.

"No. I will avoid danger."

She was plotting something, I could tell. And whatever it was, I was not going to like it.

"So, I could come with you." She said it like a statement, not a question.

"NO!" I shouted reflexively.

"Why not?" She batted her eyelashes innocently. "Theoretically, I'll be absolutely safe and come home without a scratch because I'll be with you and you won't be in danger in any way, shape, or form."

I stared at her in disbelief. I hadn't been lying to her, I honestly thought that I would be fine. It would be no more dangerous than anything else I had ever done for Maria.

That didn't mean that I wanted my wife, with absolutely no military training, to come with me.

Edward snickered at me from the doorway. It was then that I realized that we had an audience. Esme was feeling pretty much the exact same as Alice. Edward and Emmett were smirking at me, amused as they always were when I lost an argument with someone just over half my size. Rosalie wanted me to go; I assumed by the way that she was holding the sleeping child in her arms that she wanted more information about her other children that Violet or Keeah could give.

Kristoff and the blonde girl - who I assumed was Kat - stood off to the side, speculative and observant.

"You can't have it both ways, Jasper," Alice insisted. "Either it's not dangerous, and therefore there's no reason for me not to come with you, or it is, and you shouldn't be going."

I gave her a long look before finally sighing in defeat. "Fine. But you're staying near me the entire time we're there."

"Fine." Gosh, my pixie was stubborn. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling my body toward herself as if she was never going to let me go.

"Excellent. When are we leaving?" Kat spoke up for the first time and I looked up with trepedition.

"_We?_"

~ TheVioletContradiction ~

After another argument - which I lost - Kristoff and Keeah accompanied us to Monterry. On the way, Kristoff explained to me how he had saved my life.

Apparently, our cells are always rejuvinating themselves. The main catalyst for this is blood, which is why we need to drink blood every few weeks. Because my ear hadn't burned, I wasn't fully dead yet. Because I wasn't fully dead yet, my cells had continued to try and fix themselves with the remaning blood that was stored in them. By pouring blood over the ashes, Kristoff had sped up that process, giving my body the blood and time it needed to heal itself.

"And you just happened to have fresh blood on you?" I aksed skeptically.

"I always carry a couple of vials with me. I fill them every time I go hunting, and I'd just gotten back from hunting when I heard what had happened to you."

"How did you think to carry the vials with you?" Alice asked curiously.

He laughed, almost like he was poking fun at himself. "Bad childhood memories. I was a snot-nosed brat when I was a little kid, and someone ended up locking me in a closet. I was in there for a week before Lizzie finally found me, but it had been three since I last hunted, so I was starving."

"Oh, you poor thing!" exclaimed Alice.

Kristoff just shrugged it off. "Eh. I've had worse."

The rest of the car ride was spent debating how to get into Monterry. Finally, on Kat's suggestion, I decided to just walk through the front door and demand to talk with Maria.

Definitley one of my more brilliant plans.

_Not._

But apparently, a lot had changed in the century or so that I had been free from Maria. As reluctant as I was to go back, I couldn't help but be a little curious as to the changes.

Finally, we made it to the front gate. I tensed as a squadron of six newborns greeted us.

"Hey, Felipe," Kat greeted the one in charge casually.

"Hey, Kat."

With that, we were waved through the gate. Huh. This might work after all.

I stared around me as we wove through the training camp toward the mansion. Vampires and demi-vamps practiced fighting techniques with perfect precision and synchronization. I saw demi-vamps that couldn't be more than two years old that could have given me a run for my money. Sparring rings were set up with vampires fighting so fast that I could barely keep up with their movements.

We reached the front steps of the mansion and I turned the car off before storming up the steps and through the huge double doors. I marched up to Maria's bedroom, the route still engraved in my brain after all these years, and slammed open the door.

"Maria," I greeted, with a slightly sardonic tone. "I like what you've done with the place."

"Jasper," she responded in kind. "You're supposed to be dead."

"Well, I never did like taking orders from you."

I stared into the face of the woman I despised the most out of anyone on the planet, as she smiled sweetly and replied.

"And yet you came back to find me in my bedroom." She paused to throw a sickly sweet smile at Alice. "Just like old times, huh? Or are you just not getting enough action from your cute little...mate...over there?" She said the word 'mate' doubtfully, skeptically. As if the love Alice and I shared could ever be tainted, much less broken.

I snarled as insecurity became the dominant emotion in my wife. Maria laughed at me as I pulled Alice protectively to my side.

"Defensive, aren't we Jasper? That's alright, I'm not judging you. But..." she leaned closer conspiritorially, as if she was going to share a big secret with me. The fact that this movement showed off her prodigious cleavage did not escape me, nor did her maliciously deliberate emotions. I snarled quietly and she lingered for a second before winking at me and retreating to a slightly more modest position and continuing.

"...if you're ever looking for a _real_ woman, you know where to find me."

Alice glared at her from my side and I sighed. This was going to be a long conversation, one I was not looking forward to.

**A/N: Thank you for your reviews! Just for the record, there's a big twist coming at the end of the next chapter and the more reviews I get, the more inspired I am to write and therefore the faster you get the next chapter. As always, there's a sneak peek for the next chapter the day before I post to all who review.**


	14. Insecurity

**Disclaimer: If you don't know the disclaimer by now, I'm worried for your mental stability. I'M STILL NOT STEPHANIE MEYER.**

**A/N: Really, guys? Only three reviews? This saddens me greatly. Hopefully this chapter will make more people want to review. **

**Thank you to all of you who favorited or followed this story after the last chapter!**

**Special shoutout to KittieKat121, Hostfanatic, and SallyandMidna for being awesome and reviewing!**

**Alice POV:**

This was going to be a long conversation, I could tell already. We hadn't even been here for five minutes and already the woman I hated more than anyone else in the world was flirting with my husband. I mean, the nerve! He was mine now, she couldn't have him anymore – I wouldn't _let_ her have him anymore.

She deliberately smirked at me as she leaned close to him, showing off her boobs in her extremely low cut dress. I bit back a growl, glaring at her.

How _dare_ she insult me like that!? I was a real woman, thank you very much, and I knew how to please my husband, despite what she was insinuating. The fact that we didn't show off our love for each other physically did not lessen our love.

A tiny voice in the back of my mind reminded me that she _did_ have a point. I hadn't let him touch me other than platonically since the incident with Jared.

I quickly shook the voice away, glaring even more as Jasper pulled me into his arms. He wanted me. He understood that I needed to take things slow for a while. He loved _me_. Always. Nobody else.

"Fine then, cowboy. What do you want?" she snipped rudely. "I mean, besides the obvious fact that you wanted to see me in my bedroom. Still remember where it is after all these years, I see."

A little thrill of insecurity shot through me before I could squash it down. He hadn't even had to think twice about it; he'd just confidently led the way to exactly where she was – sitting on her bed in a skimpy nightdress. Why did he remember her habits so well after all these years? She was much, much prettier than I was. Did he miss his life with her?

I quickly squashed the thought. I trusted Jasper. Jasper said that he was happy with me and hated Maria. So, that was the truth.

"I want Peter, Charlotte, Violet, and Keeah back." Jasper finally spoke up, his Southern drawl apparent in his voice. I was still tense in his arms, disliking the fact that the accent usually only reserved for me was drawn out so easily for _her_. And disliking the fact that I was so worked up about it.

"Peter and Charlotte, fine." I felt Jasper's surprise wash through me – an automatic instinct after over sixty years of loving each other. He hadn't expected it to be that easy. Neither had I for that matter. Maria clarified the situation for us as she continued:

"They're not cooperating anyway and I can't do anything about it without harming one of them until they are no longer useful to me, at which point the other would be so mad that I hurt their mate that they would still refuse to cooperate."

She calmly motioned for a newborn – who stood, confused, in the entryway of her room – to leave. "Go find Peter and Charlotte and bring them to me," she ordered.

The newborn nodded and immediately ran off.

"And Violet and Keeah," Jasper insisted.

"What, give up my two greatest generals? Not on your life."

I snarled under my breath and she smiled sweetly back. "Problem, Alice?"

"They may be your generals, but they're also my children. We want them back."

"Ah, but you see, they're not yours."

I blinked at her, confusedly, speechless. Of course they were ours!

Jasper recovered faster than I did. "What do you mean, they're not ours?" His voice was deadly calm, but I could hear the danger in it.

"Biologically, we are. Legally, we're not. Not yet anyway." We all turned to the doorway as Violet entered the room and the conversation.

"Meaning?" Jasper questioned.

"Meaning that you haven't claimed us yet. Every demi-vamp that is still a minor when they meet their parents must be officially claimed by their parents on their next birthday. It involves going to the capital and filling out a bunch of paperwork. Technically, our sponsor still has control over us until we are claimed. This means that, since Maria's our sponsor, she can forbid us to leave and we would have to obey."

"How old do you have to be before you don't need to be claimed anymore?" I asked.

"Once you're fifty years old you are considered a legal adult in the eyes of the government."

"And you're only forty-four," I realized.

She blinked at me, seemingly surprised. "Yes."

"If Maria gave you permission, could you live with us until your birthday when we claim you?"

I smiled at Jasper, pleased that we were on the same page: now that we'd found them, there was no way we were letting our children go.

"If she let us, yes, but we would need written permission. Which brings us back to you." Violet turned to stare at Maria, who immediately straightened up, all traces of seduction gone.

"No."

"Yes."

"Absolutely not. I have too great of a need for you here. There is no way that I'm letting you go."

"What is there that we are so needed for that we can get done in three weeks?" Violet questioned indignantly. "Our birthday is August 13th."

"Yes, dear, but I didn't say I'd be letting you go then, now did I?"

I stared at her, shocked. She wasn't going to let the girls be claimed? But that meant that she would be in charge of them for another six years! But Violet was, apparently, expecting this because she continued arguing without hesitation.

"I did."

"Now listen here, Missy." Maria looked absolutely furious. "I've had enough of you defying my authority. Your word doesn't count. _I'm_ the one that built this institution from scratch. _I'm _the one that had the idea to put together a newborn army. _I'm _the one that found funding and materials to build this place from the ground up!"

"Yes. _You_ did all of that," Violet replied, glaring at her sponsor, "but _we're_ the ones that made the allies. _We're_ the ones that used your funding and materials to make this place as effective as possible. _We're _the ones that trained your army."

"This territory is mine to control! And _I _control it!" Maria was practically screaming at my daughter.

"But you didn't win any battles."

Violet's quietly confidant reply rang through the room as everybody went completely silent. Maria glared at her, unable to come up with a response.

"That was us. _We_ – my siblings, Kat, Des, and I – were the ones that turned you into a success. You have land now. You have potential allies that could be made to ensure a satisfactory retirement. No matter what you say, my family is_ leaving_. No matter what you say, the longer you keep us here, the more we're going to resent it. And eventually, we might get so angry that some…" Violet fixed Maria with a meaningful stare. "…shall we say…evidence…might turn up against you, incriminating you for some of the shadier things you've done and therefore allowing everyone under your control to be set free."

Maria laughed mockingly. "You wouldn't do it. You don't have the guts. If you did, you'd have turned it in a long time ago. We all know that you hate me."

"A long time ago, I didn't have anywhere to go to. And the newborns needed me here. Now I do." She gestured to Jasper and I. "And the newborns know how to take care of themselves."

We stayed silent as Violet and Maria stared each other down.

Peter and Charlotte showed up at the door.

Neither of them moved.

The newborn that brought Jasper's oldest friends shifted from foot to foot.

Still, neither so much as blinked.

Finally, Maria looked away. "Fine. I'll make you a deal. Hernandez is coming for the southwestern sector. Get the army ready for him before your birthday and I will let you and your twin sister leave to be claimed, provided your parents still want you when they find out what freaks you are."

I winced, angry that Maria would insult my children like that – of course we would still want them! – but Violet took it into stride.

"I want it in writing and signed that you're allowing Keeah, Angel, Jasmine, Lissa, and I to leave, along with sponsorship release forms for all six of us. In return, not only will we train your army, but we will defeat Hernandez in battle or diplomatically so that he will stop bothering you, for the time being at least."

"Just for the time being?" Maria asked skeptically.

"That's about as good as you're going to get. You of all people should realize that there are no guarantees in this lifestyle. All I can promise is that I'll do my best."

There was another glaring contest before Maria finally acquiesced.

"Fine. I will accept your deal on one condition; Jasper stays here until you uphold your end of the bargain. The rest vacate the premises immediately."

"Alice stays too," Violet countered. I noticed with a twinge of pain that Jasper kept quiet during this interaction. Didn't he want me to stay with him?

Maria opened her mouth to argue, her eyes flashing angrily, when suddenly she smiled sweetly. "Of course. I wouldn't dream of seperating two people so..._obviously_ in love. Dismissed."

With that, we were all swept out of the room into the hallway.

I curled myself closer to my love's body. I hated to admit it, but I was jealous of Maria.

I couldn't stand the thought of my husband touching anyone but me, even if it had been almost a century.

But, really, it was deeper than that. Or much more shallow, depending on your point of view.

Maria was _very_ attractive, physically. And I was not. Of course, Jasper said differently, claiming that I was the most beautiful woman in the world, but when I looked in the mirror, I couldn't see what he was going on about. Usually, I was fairly confidant about my body, but right now all I could manage to do was compare myself to Maria.

And when I did that, all I could see was my short, choppy hair, lack of height, and curveless body.

I just couldn't see what it was about me that could possibly make Jasper want me when he could have her.

Okay, I was overreacting. I knew that. We _had_ been married for about sixty years now, after all. I was just feeling especially insecure right now, because there was so much going on that was new and I couldn't control and I couldn't even see how it was going to turn out because my visions were still all out of whack. I was just stressed.

If there was one constant in my life, it was that Jasper loved me. I knew that. I would take the rest as it came.

"Come on, then." Violet took off down the hallway, assuming that we would follow. At the top of the stairs, we encountered a teenage boy with windblown blonde hair and an incredibly annoyed expression on his face.

"You know," he started, falling into line a half-step behind Violet, "it would make my job a heck of a lot easier if you would tell me that you're going into a potentially life threatening situation _before_ you did. Just sayin'."

"But then how would you stay alert? I like to keep you on your toes," Violet replied breezily, winking at him and throwing him a charming smile.

"Uh-huh." He did not look impressed by her excuse. She just laughed.

"I'm not entirely helpless, you know."

"That doesn't make me any more enthusiastic about you having diplomatic discussions with a hostile force with next to no backup."

"You make it sound like I'm dealing with my enemy instead of my sponsor."

"Semantics."

Peter cut in. "I'm sorry, but...you are?"

"Des."

"Oh, my apologies," Violet added in smoothly. "Des, meet your parents. Peter and Charlotte, meet your son. You've already met Kat, of course, though only briefly."

Peter nodded at them in greeting while Charlotte said a soft 'hello.'

"Howdy."

"Hey."

Violet continued talking as she walked down the stairway. "In addition to being our closest friends, Kat and Des are also Keeah and I's body guards."

With those greetings out of the way, Des turned to Violet. "I'm assuming you have a plan?"

"Of course. We're going to win us a battle." We finally reached the door. "Peter, Charlotte," my daughter adressed them, "as delightful as this visit has been, get out."

Peter blinked at her. "Um..."

She smiled at them, showing the first sign of compassion I'd seen all night. "No offense, but y'all's fighting styles are out of date. I don't have time to train you right now, and until I do, you're just a wild card that could potentially screw up a plan. I want you two to sit this one out and stay safe. Go back to the Cullens' house and keep an eye on my little sisters. Tell them we love them and that we'll be out by our birthday."

I could practically see the relief on Peter's face as he realized that he and Charlotte would be safe and together, but he hesitated, looking at Jasper. "Will you guys be alright?"

Jasper looked at Violet.

She smiled. "They'll be fine. Now get outta here. That's an order."

The pair disappeared into the night without another glance back.

~ TheVioletContradiction ~

I walked through the living room of mine and Jasper's suite, heading toward the bedroom that would be ours for the next two weeks. After Peter and Charlotte had left, Kat and Keeah had taken Jasper to our rooms while Violet had pulled me aside to discuss my visions and how they could help in the battle against Hernandez who - as she explained to me - was another Southern general who was after Maria's land. She hadn't seemed too put out about the limitations that I was currently experiencing. According to her, it was a good weakness to have because she could help me fix it. Apparently, she'd done a lot more experimenting with her gift than I had.

As I walked into the short hallway that led to our bedroom, I could make out muffled voices through the soundproof walls (of course, with our enhanced ability to hear things, the walls didn't works as well as they would have on a human, but they did block out some of the noise). Curious, I walked to the door and put my hand on the knob to open it before hearing a voice that made my blood (metaphorically) run cold.

"Jasper," Maria purred.

"Maria," he replied.

"Miss me?"

What was she doing in our room? Hesitantly, I fought down my silly insecurities. Whatever it was, Jasper was a perfect gentlemen. And he loved _me_.

"Where's Alice?"

"Oh she won't be bothering us. She won't even know I was here, this can be our little secret."

There was a long silence.

What was that supposed to mean? Jasper wouldn't keep secrets from me, would he? _No_. He wouldn't.

"Nice outfit. I see you haven't changed a bit."

"You have. I wonder if it was for the better."

"No, Maria, I am exactly the same person as I was when I left you. Only..."

His voice suddenly cut out.

Exactly the same as he was? No, he wasn't. He was happier now. Away from her. With me. He wasn't dependant on her and had no desire to cater to her every whim for her approval. Did he?

I decided to open the door.

It swung open, giving me a clear view of my shirtless husband and his scantily clad former lover locked in a passionate kiss.

At the sound of my gasp, Jasper looked up to see me, but I wasn't able to see his reaction.

I was too busy running from the scene that absolutely shredded my already fragile self-esteem and left my broken heart to throb painfully in my chest.

**A/N: Please don't murder me. I did have a good reason...well, that and I wanted more reviews...**

**speaking of which...**

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**(Sneak peek of the next chapter the day before I post it to anyone who reviews.)**


	15. The Worst Timing of My Existence

**A/N: Yay, I got more than three reviews! :) Thank you! Special shoutout to new reviewer ACrimsonMoon!**

**I realize that I failed to send out sneak peeks of this chapter for reviewers. I know, it was horrible of me and I do apologize. Read the A/N at the bottom of the chapter for an explanation.**

**Sorry, for the delay on the update. I could make excuses that involve an AP Lit summer assignment, a Yearbook summer assignment, two young boys that I'm babysitting and my laziness, but I won't, because I doubt you'd actually care.**

**Read on! :)**

**Disclaimer: Not Stephanie Meyer, yada yada yada, don't own anything that's not original, yada yada yada, you know the drill and are probably not even reading this disclaimer, yada yada yada.**

**Jasper POV:**

I glanced around the suite as Keeah and Kat left to do...whatever it was they were going to go do. Sighing, I moved toward the bedroom that would be mine and Alice's for the next two weeks and finally allowed myself to recognise the fact that I had been supressing for the past week or so.

Maria was back in my life.

And she was determined to stay.

I hated being back here. Worse, though, was the fact that Alice was with me. I did not want my innocent wife to have to live through the hell I'd lived through for the first century of my life. It was like all my nightmares wrapped up into one: a vindictive Maria in close proximity to my wife whom I was unable to do much to protect. Fantastic.

And yet, I couldn't help but admit that a small, selfish part of me was glad that she was here. Maybe this time I wouldn't get caught up in the whirlwind of greed, envy, unchecked ambitious desire, and pure evil that was Maria's dominion; maybe this time Alice would help me to remember that there was good in this world and that I had the opportunity to live in it.

Tugging off my shirt, I headed to the closet to get changed. Of course, the second I got there, I realized that the closet was empty. I groaned. Nothing else had gone smoothly or easily today, why should I be able to find a change of clothes without working for it?

I dropped the shirt on the floor, frustrated.

If I was honest with myself, the shirt didn't really matter. After all, the only other person I was planning on seeing tonight was Alice, and she'd seen me shirtless too many times to count.

What was really bothering me was a little more complicated.

This place was so different than I remembered. Keeah had, at my request, taken me on a tour of the facility. I'd watched, amazed, as two year old demi-vamps fought each other with more skill than even I possessed. I'd been astounded as I witnessed one month old newborns resist feeding from a bleeding human not fifty feet away from them.

Violet hadn't been kidding when she'd said that our fighting methods were way out of date.

But, the difference I could almost handle. Sure, it was annoying, but I was a quick learner. I could figure out how to fight in this new era if it meant protecting my family.

The part that was bothering me was that, despite the differences, everything felt exactly the same.

Maria was still a conniving, ruthless, vengefully merciless definition of evil.

The air was still thick with hopeless desperation.

Fear was still instilled in each and every person on site - except the generals and Maria.

I growled at nothing in particular before freezing as I felt the familiar emotions radiating off of the vampire standing directly outside my door. I turned to face them as _she_ stepped into the room.

"Jasper," Maria purred.

"Maria," I retorted.

"Miss me?"

_Not particularly, no._

"Where's Alice?" I questioned, not quite allowing myself to panic before I'd gotten an answer.

"Oh she won't be bothering us. She won't even know I was here, this can be our little secret."

I almost rolled my eyes at the answer; as if I would keep any secrets from Alice.

There was a long silence as I tried to keep my hostility under control. If she'd done _anything_ to harm my beloved pixie, I would make her pay!

But if I wasn't at least civil to her, I ran the risk of Maria hurting Alice out of spite.

Attempting to calm myself, I decided to change the subject. I couldn't very well kick her out without sounding hateful and angry - no less than she deserved, but I would _not_ allow even the slightest possibility for Alice to be put into any more unnecessary danger - and maybe I could get some information out of her if I was polite...polite-ish anyway.

"Nice outfit," I commented sarcastically, referring to the skimpy nightdress she was still wearing. "I see you haven't changed a bit."

"You have. I wonder if it was for the better," she speculated mischievously. I stepped back from her tone and emotions before steeling myself. She was planning something - something that I wasn't going to like - and I would not give her the satisfaction of showing fear.

"No, Maria, I am exactly the same person as I was when I left you," I told her. It was true after all. My feelings for Maria when I'd left - hatred, fear, and desperation to get away - had only strengthened with time. "Only now I've found my love and purpose and I'm happy," I finished.

Or, at least, I tried to.

I was sort of cut off when, with a malicious twist to her emotions, I suddenly found Maria's lips on mine as she pulled me into a passionate embrace.

Instantly, I moved my hands to her waist to push her away (whether it caused her to be angry with me and Alice or not, I was _not _going to kiss the woman who had ruined my life!), but before I could the door opened and a shocked gasp came from the vampire that'd just walked in on us.

I recognized her emotions instantly as I looked up into her devastated face.

Alice.

Crap.

That had to be the worst possible timing in my entire existence.

I shoved Maria away from me as I ran after my heartbroken wife, frantically following her scent down several seemingly random hallways.

"Alice!" I called after her. She didn't reply, but I felt the throb of pain acutely as she heard my voice.

"Alice!" I called again.

My only response was a scream as her panic level skyrocketed. I was confused for a tenth of a second before I felt the focussed maliciousness of the emotions of several newborns.

My pace doubled as I realized that Maria had set the whole thing up. Skidding around a corner I was faced with a scene from my worst nightmares: Alice stood, trapped in a corner, surrounded by three newborns with vicious blood lust dominating their emotions. They wanted her dead.

"This will only hurt a little," the first one sneered.

"Oh, come on," countered the second. "Let's tell the truth for once, just for kicks."

The third shrugged. "Alright. This is going to hurt a _lot_."

I growled and they all spun around to face me. Fear exuded from them as they took in my battle scars.

"Step. Away. From. Her." I spat out each word very deliberately.

"Or what?" The first newborn sneered. I realized that all three of their emotional climates had lost the fear. "You'll fight us?" He laughed mockingly. "Please. I'd like to see you try."

"Really, now?" Violet's voice suddenly informed me of her presence and I sighed in relief as the fear returned to the three newborns. "Because I think we'd win," she continued.

The three newborns silently backed away from Alice, who was instantly at my side, hugging herself as close to me as possible in relief.

"Thank you..._gentlemen,_" Violet said the last word with a touch of sarcasm in her otherwise polite facade as we started to exit out the door we'd come in through. Violet simply turned around to walk out, but I backed away slowly; I was not letting my guard down until I was sure Alice was safe.

Which is why I was the only one who saw the first newborn launch himself toward the back of my retreating daughter, going for the kill.

A half-formed warning escaped my lips as I instantly pulled my wife behind me and crouched into a defensive position. One of my arms automatically threw itself out to catch the arm of the newborn and throw off his aim.

I barely managed to grab him, but it was enough to throw him into a wall and away from my daughter. His face and arm smashed into a useless rubble as he smashed into the wall. There was a second of silence before Violet slowly turned around.

"You _really_ shouldn't have done that," she informed him calmly. Then she launched into an attack, instantly decapitating the newborn I'd thrown into the wall to prevent him from causing any further damage. I dragged Alice backward into the hallway as Violet faced the remaining two newborns. I winced as they both charged at her, but she just calmly stepped forward to meet them.

Standing in the center of the room, she kicked out, catching the newborn number two in the stomach as she reached and twisted one of newborn number three's arms behind him. Growling, he swung at her with his other arms in random, scattered gestures that she easily dodged.

Newborn number two roared at her, picking himself up off of the ground as he charged toward her. Kicking newborn number three's legs out from under him, she ducked around to the front of him before launching him up and over her head to collide with newborn number two. Pulling herself out of the somersault that she'd rolled into while throwing newborn number three, Violet leapt over them before using the wall on the far side of the room to propel herself toward the now standing newborns - who were still facing the other direction.

The sound of their collision probably could have been heard several states away as she smashed into them, sending them into the wall on the other side of the small room.

Quickly, she stalked over and ripped both pairs of their arms off before they could retaliate.

They both surrendered fairly quickly after that.

Violet simply dropped the arms in the middle of the room as she came to join Alice and I. "Shall we go?" she questioned innocently. I recognized the command for what it was and willingly followed after her.

We exited into the warm night air, cicadas chirping all around us as we walked across the hard packed sand. I vaguely registered our surroundings, much more concerned with the feelings coming off of my wife.

She had put some distance between us, no longer clinging to me as she had been, but my hand was still firmly clasped in her grasp. Betrayal fought with pain, which fought with hope, regret, insecurity, and self-loathing. To put it frankly, Alice was an emotional mess.

And it was all my fault.

I cursed Maria's evil plotting and my inability to see it for what it was. I should have kicked her out of our room the second she came in.

Eventually, we came to a mansion with a wrap around porch. Violet led us up the steps and through the double doors into the foyer.

"I need to talk to Des," she informed us, gesturing to the living room on our left to indicate that we should wait there. "Make yourselves at home, but don't touch anything."

Alice turned to me as Violet disappeared up the stairs. "We need to talk," she informed me.

"It wasn't what it looked like," I replied instantly, desperately hoping that she would - somehow - understand. "Alice, I swear, it wasn't what it looked like."

"And I want to believe that!" she retorted desperately. I could sense in her emotions that she was telling the truth; she desperately wished that I wasn't lying. "But I just walked in on you - half-naked you, I might add - _kissing_ the scantily clad woman who you were intimately with for nearly a century. What am I supposed to think?! I want to believe you, Jasper, but you've got to give me _something_ to believe. I need an explanation," she pleaded.

I nearly growled in frustration, knowing that the answer I was about to give was far less than a sufficient explanation. I would tell her the truth - after all, she deserved nothing less - but I knew exactly how unbelievable it was.

"It wasn't...I wasn't..." I searched for words as she stared back at me, emotions churning. "I was going to change my shirt, but there were no other clothes in the room. I hadn't gotten around to putting my shirt back on before she showed up. I probably should have kicked her out the second she entered the room, but I know her - well, knew her, anyway - and the Maria I used to know would be incredibly angry at any slight against her; I couldn't be rude to her because then she might take out her anger on you. We talked for a minute before she randomly kissed me; I had no warning it was about to happen. We were kissing for maybe half a second before you came in. You walked in before I could push her away.

Alice, I _swear_ I would never, _ever_ intentionally hurt you like that."

"I wasn't kissing her, she was kissing me? Do you realize how unbearably cliché that is?!" my pixie asked in disbelief.

"I know, I know," I groaned. I was well aware of the stereotype that was my excuse. "Believe me, I know, but it's the truth. I would never lie to you."

She bit her lip and turned to look out the window, her arms automatically coming up to hug her stomach. I could feel her pain and I wanted nothing more than to go to her, take her in my arms, and soothe away all her worries, but I couldn't. All I could do was wait.

Wait, and pray she would believe me.

She took a deep, unnecessary breath and I felt her emotions steel into a determined trust. I stared at her in amazement as she turned back to me.

"I believe you."

"Wha-?" I could only gape at her in amazement as I felt her resolve. She smiled quietly.

"You have never, in over six decades of knowing me, lied to me that I am aware of. I met Maria for about three hours in Calgary and she told me nothing but lies." She stepped closer to me and pulled me into her embrace.

"So out of the two of you, you're the one I'm going to trust."

"I love you," I managed to choke out through the relief.

I felt her smile as she pressed a kiss into my chest. "I love you too."

We stood in the middle of the room and silently held each other. It was a nice sort of silent: the peaceful silence of content.

Violet re-entered the room.

"Excellent, you two've made up," she commented. "Jasper, you're going with Keeah and Des on recon. Hernandez is a master strategist and I want to know what we're up against." Violet glared at me. "They both outrank you and I expect you to do exactly as the ask immediately after they ask it. I don't care how weird it sounds. They say jump, you say how high. Got it?" I nodded. Anything to keep Alice safe.

"Alice, you're staying here with me and Kat. I want to work through the loopholes and limitations of your visions." Alice nodded obediently before casting a concerned look at me.

"Don't worry, love, I'll be fine," I told her, trying to ease her worry. She nodded and gave me a quick kiss before following Violet back upstairs.

I turned to face Keeah and Des. The latter tossed something to me and I instinctively raised my hand to catch it. Upon further examination, I realized that it was a lighter. I glanced back up at the two teenagers in front of me.

"Just in case," Des told me. "Come on. Don't forget to shut the door after you."

I felt a thrill of trepedition as I followed them out into the night.

**A/N: Wow, a lot went on in that chapter. No wonder it was so obnoxiously tricky to write. **

**As you may have noticed, I have decided to stop giving out sneak peeks of the next chapter to reviewers. This is because I feel like faster updates are more important. Without the distraction of the sneak peeks I can better concentrate on the story and you all won't have to wait a day after the sneak peeks are sent out to read the update.**

**That being said, I still love reviews! Please continue to review! I really do appreciate each and every one of them. **

**So, we got some action in this chapter. Please let me know how the fighting bit was, because I've never really written anything like that before and I'm not sure how well I did. You guys be the judge! :)**


	16. Home

**A/N: Hi guys! Sorry for the late update. If you really care about the excuse, add 'camping without internet connection' to the list in the last chapter.**

Read on!

Jasper POV:

The sound of cicadas chirping was the only noise as we slipped silently, wraith-like, through the night. The full moon illuminated the desert sand as we darted back and forth between the shadows, creating an epic contrast of black and white as the background of our quest. Out here, in the subtle ferocity of the wild, the true balances of nature became apparent.

Coyotes yipped and howled, stealthy robbers, masters of the night. Desert foxes crept out of their holes, cautious and sly. Lizards scuttled past in a lazily desperate attempt to escape the ever present threat of the practically omniscient watching eyes of the hawks above. Long-eared rabbits loped smoothly through the night.

Here, nature reigned.

Here, predator chased prey without inhibition.

Here, we didn't have to hide.

Many Northerners wondered at the brutality, the violence of the Southern coven wars. They didn't understand. And how could they?

How does one explain the natural brutality of vampires in general, the constant warfare with the catalyst of the oppressive, shimmering heat of the desert?

How does one explain the cycles of life and death, predator and prey, that are displayed with such a passionate, regular beauty in my homeland - for no matter what I had suffered through, this land was still my home- to someone who has never seen and cannot imagine beauty in such a setting?

I loved the Cullens - over the many decades we'd spent together they'd become my family - but I had always felt out of place with them. They saw my scars and thought them to be a reason for pity, they assumed that I was ashamed of them; I saw them as trophies, symbols of what I'd gone through. In the South, they inspired respect. Vampires were content to be killed by one with as many scars as I had, because they knew they died with honor, fighting for their land against a warrior many times their superior. There was no fear of death or pain, only a very healthy respect.

In the North, everyone felt fear just at the sight of my scars. The outlook on life was a complete one-eighty from that of the South.

Don't get me wrong; I was thrilled to be away from Maria, relieved to be away from the horrors of war. But a significant part of me grieved as I made a new life for myself in the North. In this strange new setting I was a stranger, alienated from those around me who judged without bothering to look from my point of view. I was an oddity to be looked at from afar. Like an animal in a zoo, I was caged, trapped by social expectations and forced to stay on display for all curious parties to examine.

This was why I shied away from the spotlight. This is why I never felt as though I was a part of the family; though they loved me and didn't judge me, they still tried to force me into their preconceived notions, making assumptions about me when they were unable to comprehend my outlook on life.

They loved me, but they were simply unable to understand me.

And so I was under a self-imposed exile, a stranger in my own home as I searched, baffled, for a way to express myself.

But here...

Here I was free.

Here I was myself.

Here I fit in.

Yes, my world had changed. Yes, I was out of date. But the culture hadn't changed. I was confident I could quickly master the new subtleties. It would take a little time, but what did that matter in the grand scheme of things?

I was finally home.

It was easy to take my position on Keeah's left, just a half step behind her. I was her father, yes, but for the moment she was my general. She outranked me because she was better equipped than I was to lead.

She and Violet had survived for forty-four years in this life and both had more scars than I. Neither of them appeared to like or respect Maria, and so I would trust them. I needed allies if I wanted to keep Alice safe, after all, and 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend;' it was the most basic rule of life down here.

We approached a heavily guarded compound and I looked to see how Keeah and Des would react.

Keeah motioned toward a field on the left, a questioning look on her face. Des looked thoughtful for a second before shaking his head.

'Too risky,' he mouthed.

Keeah nodded and gestured for him to lead the way.

Silently, he crept up to the thick wall surrounding the fortress. Holding up his fist for us to halt, he examined the wall for a second before moving on.

'Don't touch the wall,' he mouthed over his shoulder, 'and don't make a sound.'

We continued around the wall. Suddenly, Des cocked his head to the side, as if listening for something. We froze behind him.

I felt his alarm as he looked toward the closest guard tower - or, more specifically, the spotlights at the top of the tower. Instantly, I pulled us all down so that we were hidden beneath the desert brush.

Keeah had an aerosol canister out and had sprayed us with something at almost the exact same second.

We all held our breath as the spotlight swooped over us once...twice...three times as the newborn standing guard stared suspiciously into the field that was now behind us. He squinted in our general direction for a few seconds. I went to change his emotions away from suspicion, but stopped, amazed, before I could.

His emotions were already being changed.

I glanced toward Keeah bemusedly as I tried to figure it out. How could his emotions be tampered with of I wasn't the one doing the tampering?

I got my answer as I took in her face, furrowed in concentration.

Violet had inherited Alice's gift. Was it possible that Keeah had inherited mine?

Yes, I slowly realized, yes it was.

The guard shrugged and turned off the spotlight. We all breathed silent sighs of relief before Des tossed us both a pair of black gloves and gestured for us to hurry.

As we snuck back to the wall, Keeah pulled a coil of rope from her pocket, handing it to Des, who immediately tossed it up to lasso a small protruding edge.

'Ladies first,' he mouthed, gesturing for Keeah to go ahead of him.

'Oh, thanks,' she mouthed back sarcastically, scaling the rope using only her arms.

I followed on Des's command, climbing until I reached the top, where I vaulted over the low edge.

"Alright," Keeah whispered as I heard Des land behind me, "Jasper, you're with me. We're looking for records. Des, head over to the barracks. You know what to do."

He nodded and disappeared over the other edge of the wall into the compound.

"Come on," Keeah hissed, leading the way over to a nearby guard tower. Carefully, we snuck through and down the stairs to the courtyard.

We made our way through the rest of the camp in that way: ducking around corners, dodging the guards, and staying to the shadows as much as possible to avoid detection.

Eventually, we made it to the center of the compound and snuck into what Keeah called the command center. At first, I assumed that it was nothing like Maria's command center; hers was an enormous mansion, whereas Hernandez's headquarters were located in a simple, ranch style bungalow. As we continued to move through his headquarters, however, I realized that they were not simple at all. Practically all of his command center was underground; an elaborate labyrinth specifically designed to trap and torture intruders.

I mentioned the differences to Keeah, curious to see what she thought. She smiled as she replied:

"Maria is very...ostentatious about her victories. She likes to show off her power to all. Hernandez is more subtle, and therefore more dangerous to Maria than an opponent who might be more similar in their thought patterns."

We kept walking down the hallway for a few seconds before she continued.

"You're much more resourceful than I'd been expecting. You're not half bad at taking orders either. You might actually survive this."

"Ummm... Thanks?" I replied.

"It's a compliment."

I glanced at her skeptically and she smiled. "Through here. Watch my back."

She knelt in front of a fairly nondescript door and pulled a Swiss army knife out of her pocket. I glanced down the hallway as I moved to stand protectively in front of her.

Two seconds later, the door clicked open to reveal rows and rows of filing cabinets.

"Come on. We're looking for anything to do with us or Maria. We've got about a half an hour before we need to get out. Make sure you don't touch anything unless you've got your gloves on; we don't want to leave fingerprints."

I nodded and got to work. The fate of my family depended on it.

We worked quickly, but thoroughly, scanning file after file for any information that could help us in the coming battle. We had to be quick; at any moment a guard could come through and our cover would be blown. Our mission depended on stealth, for, if Hernandez was unaware of our presence, we had the element of surprise on our side.

A file caught my attention as we were nearly finished. It was simply titled 'Sponsored.'

"Jasper, come on!" Keeah hissed.

"Just a second," I muttered, flipping open the file to see rows and rows of numbers. "I think you need to look at this."

Keeah grabbed it from me impatiently. "What!? What is so important? It better be worth it, soldier!"

I stayed silent as she read through it, watching realization dawn on her face. She glanced back up at me.

"Do you know what this is?" she questioned.

"I have a pretty good idea," I replied. I may be out of date, but I know a bribe record when I see one.

She hesitated for a second before her emotions steeled into determination. "Violet needs to see this. Guard the door."

Instantly, I was at the door, glancing down the hallway.

Keeah fiddled with her phone for a second before holding it over the file. I watched on amazement as the phone scanned it, downloading the information onto its hard drive.

She pressed a few buttons on her phone before glancing up at me. "Bit different from the recon you're used to, huh?"

"You're telling me."

Her phone beeped again. "Information sent. Is there any other way I may assist you?"

"No."

No sooner had the word left her mouth than alarms started going off throughout the entire compound.

"INTRUDER! ALERT! INTRUDER! ALERT!" the security system blared at us.

"Crap!" she hissed. "Come on!"

We raced out of the room and down the hallway.

"Are you any good at the guitar?" she questioned casually.

"I'm alright," I replied.

"Good," she said before abruptly turning into a spare room to interrupt a couple who was rather heatedly making out in the corner.

Knocking them both unconscious, she grabbed the guy's boots and leather jacket off of him and tossed them to me. "Put these on!"

I did as she asked, turning around to find her in a completely different outfit.

"How...?" I began to ask, but she shushed me.

"Hold still!"

Within seconds, she'd smeared some sort of goo into my hair, spiking it up, and coated my face with some sort of make-up. I glared, but didn't comment. She was my commander after all; I had to do as she said. But that didn't mean I had to like it.

I turned to find that she'd already finished her own makeover. Her hair was tied up with a bandana, a streak of purple running through it, her clothes were completely different, and her face looked edgier, yet softer, as if she were trying to be a bad girl, but not quite succeeding.

All in all, we were completely unrecognizable.

"Here," she shoved a guitar at me. "You're going to need that. Come on, don't talk, I don't care what happens. Pretend you're a mute."

We pushed our way back to the hallway and started to walk quickly back toward the room with the filing cabinets.

"Halt!" an angry voice shouted from behind us. "Put your hands in the air!"

**A/N: Please review.**  
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	17. It's Not Easy Being an Empath

**A/N: Only two people reviewed. Wow, guys. Feeling the love. :( This saddens me greatly. The cookie monster has come to steal all of your virtual cookies, except for those of Christina salvatore and guest reviewer Kakini.**

**If you want to make it up to me, you can go read and review my other story 'The Consequences of Conversing with your Dinner.' It's only had a couple of views this month and I'd like for more people to read it. :)**

**Shoutout to thetrueBellacullen for favoriting and following me!**

Jasper POV:

Once, during our first two years together, before we met the Cullens, Alice and I had been traveling through the forest in the Grand Rapids area, right near Lake Michigan.

I was still hesitant about our relationship. Alice had found me only a few months before and I could feel the love for me coming off of her in waves. It was such a huge component of her emotional baseline; her love for me made up a significant portion of who she was.

It was strong and clear and simple, while still running deep and rich and being a very much adult, mature feeling.

I'd never felt anything so pure.

It scared me.

During the decades spent with Maria, I'd felt only deceit, known only lies. In the South, it was either kill or be killed; if someone else lost their life along the way, it was regrettable, but a fact of life. Most were not mourned. After all, they probably would have died within the next few months anyway.

Until Peter, I'd never had a companion who I would trust with my life; Maria was my creator, yes, and my lover, but if it came down to her or me, I'd choose myself every time. She knew this. Heck, she'd do the same. We protected each other so long as it benefited us both, but if a time ever came when one of us would be better off without the other, the weaker party would be killed. It was an uncomfortable truce, but one that suited both of our needs.

When I'd escaped to the North, the emotional climate became much more straightforward - unhindered by the vendettas and plotting deceitfulness of the South - but I still inspired fear in practically all I came across. Vampires feared what I could do to them. Humans felt the pain of death whenever I came to call. It all became rather depressing after a while.

So when I'd walked into a decrepit old diner one rainy afternoon in Philadelphia and was greeted by a perpetually happy little pixie whose only response to my presence was to chastise me for my tardiness, I didnt even blink.

I grabbed onto her hand like it was a life preserver and let her take me wherever she would.

She told me about the Cullen family; I just nodded along. She informed me of her amazing talent; I calmly told her of mine in return. She asked me to try her diet of animal blood; I agreed without protest.

She could have asked for the moon and I would've found a way to give it to her. Alice had given me the most powerful thing in the world: hope. There was nothing I wouldn't do for her.

But her love frightened me.

It wasn't that I was unwilling to be Alice's mate. Heaven knows that she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, with a heart of gold to match. She was loving, spunky, independent, carefree, confidant, resourceful...all the things I would have looked for if I'd have known that I was searching for a mate.

But I didn't trust my ability to return her love.

A woman like her deserved someone as amazing as she, someone whole, able to love her the way she deserved. Someone who was everything I couldn't be.

I tried to explain this to her. She informed me confidently that she didn't care. She wanted me, and only me. No one else would suffice.

Who was I to refuse her?

And so I found myself, hunting deer on the shore of Lake Michigan, attempting to find a feeling within me even half as pure, as lovely as the one she was sending me. I wanted to find something worthy to give back to her. I wanted, very much, to be able to love her the way she deserved to be loved.

I was so busy searching for something, anything within me for her that I didn't notice for a minute when she disappeared.

"Alice?" I'd called, panicking slightly. "Alice!"

Tearing through the forest, I'd followed her scent through the forest, where she'd been hunting her prey. My panic grew by the second as I felt the unmistakable blood lust of another vampire on the hunt - a non vegetarian vampire.

And Alice was heading straight toward him.

Pushing myself even faster, I made it to a clearing just as Alice burst in after a herd of deer, interrupting a male vampire's hunt.

She yelped in surprise as she practically tripped over the feeding vampire and he turned on her in blind anger, defensive of his meal. Instantly, I was crouched protectively in front of her, ready to defend her if he so much as _thought_ about touching her.

That was the moment that I knew, without a doubt, that I was capable of loving Alice, that I already loved her. I was willing to put her life before mine without a thought, to gladly sacrifice my safety and well-being for hers.

There was a tense pause in the clearing as the male and I sized each other up before two more vampires appeared in the ridge above us - a blonde male with his arm slung casually around a female with violently shocking red hair.

"Come on, Laurent."

The male across from me ignored the summons for a moment before slowly edging away, turning back toward his coven. I did not relax until all I could no longer feel their emotional climates.

Our relationship steadily progressed from that point forward, changing and growing stronger until Alice and I reached the point we're at today. But I never forgot that initial moment when I realized that I loved her; her joy as the vision of our future solidified was stronger than anything I'd ever felt.

I asked her about her happiness; surely she'd seen it coming? Surely she'd known that I'd love her for all eternity?

Bashfully, she'd admitted that she had known - had always known - that we would be lovers, but there was always a chance that I would change my mind and leave her all alone.

As she'd thought of that potential future of solitude, terror had risen in her, completely engulfing her in pain and sorrow. At that moment, I realized for the first time that she was just as fragile, as weak, mentally as I was emotionally. Her gift made her strong, but it also made her insecure. Neither of us was perfect.

That's what made us so perfect for each other.

I'd taken her in my arms and promised her that I would never leave her. She'd smiled up at me from the comfort of my embrace and I hadn't been able to resist kissing her - our first kiss.

And now, all those years later, as I turned to face a squadron of trained newborns led by an extremely angry commander, all I could think of was my promise to Alice.

"Put your hands in the air!" he repeated forcefully.

I complied, slowly raising both hands above my head. In that moment, I was sure of only one thing:

I had to survive this and get back to my wife.

I would never leave her.

I would always protect her.

"State your business in the compound," the commander growled harshly.

"We're the replacement musicians for Hernandez's birthday party. Apparently, it's going to be quite the shindig; we were lucky the other duo was found unfit to perform," Keeah replied smoothly.

"I was uninformed of this change in schedule," he replied suspiciously. "Where are your documents?"

"In our pockets," Keeah told him, giving me a significant look. I got the message. "May we take them out to show you?"

"Yes. Slowly."

Slowly, we reached into our pockets as the commander looked on. I fumbled for a second before finding several sheets if paper and pulling them out. Keeah held out her hand, so I gave them to her. Flipping through them quickly, she located the right ones and handed them over.

He browsed through them for a moment before squinting back up at us. "Congratulations. Everything appears to be in order. I might actually be able to avoid killing you." He handed them back to Keeah before moving to stand directly in front of me.

"Everything checks out except for one thing..." There was no mistaking the fact that he was talking directly to me. I stayed silent, remembering Keeah's command not to talk under any circumstances.

"What are you doing in the command center, and how on earth did two simple musicians make it all the way down here without detection?"

"I don't know, it's your security system..." Keeah began to reply, but was quickly cut off.

"I was talking to him." He gestured to me and then stared expectantly.

I looked straight at him, shrugged helplessly, and started signing in American Sign Language.

'We were just wandering around. We couldn't find the bathroom.'

The commander stared at me uncomprehendingly. "What is he doing?"

"He's a mute, sir. That's sign language. It's the only way he is able to communicate with us."

"He's a mute, and yet he's performing for Hernandez?"

"He's the backup guitar. He doesn't sing."

He stared at her skeptically before shrugging. "So what did he say?"

"That we were wandering around looking for the bathroom. I get nervous before shows and he's my bodyguard as well as guitarist, so he came with me."

"And you just _happened_ to make it to the center of HQ?"

"Dude, it's _your_ janky security system."

He glared at us. "Point taken. Get back up to the performing area."

"Gladly. If you could just point us in the right direction...?"

He glared again and marched us back upstairs and out into the courtyard.

"You're on in two minutes. I look forward to your performance," he informed us, smirking at us before leaving us in a dressing room.

"Dang it," she hissed frantically, "now we actually have to perform. This makes things that much more complicated."

"Why-?"

"Shhh!" she shushed me. 'You're mute, remember? No talking. I don't want anyone to overhear you,' she signed quickly.

'You know sign language?' I signed back.

'Yup. Picked it up during a raid. That's not important.'

'What are we performing?'

She thought for a second.

'Do you know 'Free to Be Me' by Francesca Batistelli?'

I gave her a look. 'Who?'

She rolled her eyes. 'Never mind.' Quickly she scribbled something out onto a couple of spare sheets of paper.

"Here. These are the chords for the song. You can sight read, right?"

I nodded.

"Good, it's time to go."

Within about two seconds we were rushed our of the room and onto a stage in front of several hundred newborns. Suddenly, I was _very_ nervous. That was a _lot _of people. Keeah didn't even blink.

"Hey, y'all," she announced into the microphone. "We are the Replacement Rascals and to start the night's festivities, we will be singing 'Free to Be Me' by Francesca Batistelli. Happy birthday, Hernandez!"

She nodded to me and I started to strum the guitar. She waited for her cue before starting to sing.

"At twenty years of age  
I'm still looking for a dream  
A war's already waged  
For my destiny  
But you've already won the battle  
And you've got great plans for me  
Though I can't always see"

I worked to keep my jaw from dropping. She was a _phenomanal_ singer! She'd only sung one verse and I already felt like I could listen to her sing forever. A burst of pride for my daughter welled up in me.

"'Cause I got a couple dents in my fender  
Got a couple rips in my jeans  
Try to fit the pieces together  
But perfection is my enemy  
On my own I'm so clumsy  
But on your shoulders I can see  
I'm free to be me

When I was just a girl  
I thought I had it figured out  
My life would turn out right  
And I'd make it here somehow  
But things don't always come that easy  
And sometimes I would doubt"

The crowd swayed along to the song, just as transfixed as I was. I was simply blown away at the amount of talent that my daughter possessed. She poured her entire soul into the song, sang with so much emotion that one could almost see it hanging in the air. She took the notes and rhythms of the song and made them come to life.

Keeah was one of those performers who was able to create emotion, to make people really feel the pain or joy of the song. The audience couldn't help but love her.

"'Cause I got a couple dents in my fender  
Got a couple rips in my jeans  
Try to fit the pieces together  
But perfection is my enemy  
On my own I'm so clumsy  
But on your shoulders I can see  
I'm free to be me

And you're free to be you

Sometimes I believe  
That I can do anything  
Yet other times I think  
I've got nothing good to bring  
But you look at my heart and you tell me  
That I've got all you seek  
And it's easy to believe  
Even though

'Cause I got a couple dents in my fender  
Got a couple rips in my jeans  
Try to fit the pieces together  
But perfection is my enemy  
On my own I'm so clumsy  
But on your shoulders I can see  
I'm free to be me"

I stopped strumming as the last note lingered, reverberating through the air. An awed silence filled the compound for a seemingly endless timespan before there was a loud roar of approval from the crowd. They shouted, clapping furiously, for more, having loved the performance just as much as I had.

And Keeah indulged them.

She sang for hours, singing every type of song I could imagine. She was met by the same approval after each song and she just kept on singing, a small, content smile on her face.

I watched her while she sang. She truly seemed to love it; her emotions only registered peaceful content. She was, for the first time since I'd met her, truly happy. All of the negative emotions she had bottled up inside her seemed to vanish as she sang song after song.

I thought I could understand that, to a point. It wasn't easy being an empath. The constant pressure of everybody else's feelings on our shoulders was stifiling; it made it very difficult to even distinguish - much less express - your own feelings when you could never be sure that they were really yours, uninfluenced by the people around you.

For Keeah, that release, that expression, seemed to come through music.

The songs that she sang captured and carried everything that she was feeling and allowed her to share it with the world. It was a coping mechanism, a way to communicate. And I could see how much it meant to her, how much she loved it.

Watching her there, doing what she loved, I could begin to see her as my daughter instead of my general. I found a way for us to connect. If anyone knew the struggles of being an empath it was me. Perhaps it would benefit us both to have this common ground.

Keeah ended the night with a rendition of 'Happy Birthday,' amidst loud applause. She smiled and waved to the crowd.

"Thank you, and good night!"

We both bowed and stepped off the stage and melted away into the shadows. Running along the outskirts of the party, we finally made it to the compound's wall, where Des was waiting for us. Silently, we all slipped down the rope and began the long trek home. When we could no longer hear the sounds of the party, Des finally spoke.

"Nice show."

Keeah smiled at him before taking his hand. "Let's go home."

As we disappeared, just as quietly as we had come, back into the night, I finally allowed myself to feel excitement over our return.

What can I say? I missed my wife.

**A/N: I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Those who review are wonderful, fantastic, amazing, caring people and the reason for goodness in the world. (Okay, maybe I'm exagerating a smidge ;) ) It seriously takes like five seconds, guys. **

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	18. Meanwhile, Back in Forks

**Thanks for the reviews guys! They made my day!**

**Rosalie POV:**

I sighed happily as I felt a familiar pair of strong arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"Hi, Emmett."

"Mmm," he sighed. "Hey, babe."

I giggled. Currently, we were both standing in our walk in closet, where I had been in the process of getting dressed.

"I take it you know why I'm here," he continued.

"You had a deep, burning desire to help me choose my shirt?" I joked.

"Not quite," he informed me, kissing the side of my neck. "I'd actually prefer it if you stayed like that."

I glanced down at my bra, laughing. "Somehow, I don't think that'd be very appropriate, seeing how we're going to a carnival today with three two-year olds."

"True." I smiled up at him as he glanced down at me. "I like that shirt on you," he informed me. "Although, you could wear anything and I'd still think you looked perfect."

"You're sweet." I gave him a peck on the lips as I grabbed the shirt he'd pointed to.

"Mommy? Daddy?" A wide grin instantly spread across Emmett's face as he released me to go meet our daughter.

"Hey Princess! Ready to go have fun at the carnival?"

"Yeah!" she cheered, giggling as he scooped her up into his arms.

"Breakfast first," I reminded them, walking out of our closet. "Saphy, would you like me to do your hair?"

"Yes, please." She beamed up at me and came to sit in front of my vanity. I started to gently brush through her long, blonde locks.

This was my dream come true. I was sitting with my daughter, brushing her hair as my husband - who was now casually tossing a football up into the air and catching it - watched on. And as soon as Alice and Jasper came back with Violet and Keeah, I'd be able to locate the rest of my family.

And once I'd found them, I was never going to let _anything _separate us ever again.

I set down the brush and went to help her pick out an outfit. Emmett tagged along casually.

"What do you want to wear today?" I asked my daughter.

"Hmmmm..." she pondered her choices seriously for a couple of minutes. Emmett got bored very quickly.

"What about that shirt?" he asked, pointing to a light blue shirt with a purple butterfly on it.

We both gave him a look.

"What?" he defended, looking startled at our reaction. "Butterflies are cool, right?"

"Pink, Daddy. It needs to be _pink_," Saphy said slowly, as if trying to teach a Kindergardener something that she'd already explained six times.

"Why?" Emmett asked, baffled.

Saphy sighed and shook her head.

"Is he always like this?" she asked me.

"Only when it comes to clothes," I replied solemnly.

**Peter POV: **

It had been eight hours since we'd arrived in Forks, and about sixteen since Jasper and Alice had come to free us from Maria. I was amazed that he'd risked not only his own life, but also his mate's, to save us. I would do my best to keep his daughters safe for him until he made it home.

Not that they made it easy.

Angel was so full of energy and life! Her confidence in her decisions amused me. When she got an idea in her head, she stuck with it unless she found a better idea. Her determination in decision-making reminded me of Jasper; he always managed to convince me to follow his plans too, and both of them got me into things that I'd rather not have been doing. With Jasper, it had usually been stakeouts and dangerous missions. With Angel, I was playing tea party and fashion show.

I, a Southern, newborn army general, had drunk tea while watching two-year olds parade around in princess dresses.

Jasper owed me big time.

Well... I suppose not...he did come get Charlotte and I from Maria...

This definitly covered what I owed him, though.

Jasmine, on the other hand, was incredibly shy, and often hid from the people she wasn't comfortable with yet. Which meant that it was generally very difficult to find her and make sure she was safe as she only trusted Angel. I could see Jasper in her too, in her quiet, introverted personality.

Despite their differences, though, both girls had - to my immense surprise - wormed their way into my heart until I found that I truly would do anything to keep them safe. My favorite had to be Angel though, just because I knew her better.

"Peter! Come play dress up with me and Charlotte!" Speak of the devil...

Grinning wryly I replied:

"Coming!"

I turned from my position near the window and went upstairs to help her choose an outfit for the day; we were going to a carnival today and apparently it was imperitive to find something cute, yet functional. And it had to be purple.

I walked into Alice and Jasper's room - which was currently serving as Angel and Jasmine's room - to find Angel and Charlotte already in the huge closet picking out an outfit.

"What took you so long?!"

"Sorry," I replied, "I was just thinking."

"Fine. Which looks better?" asked Angel as she walked out of the closet in her first outfit. "This is option one of seven."

Oh yeah, Jasper owed me big time.

**Esme POV:**

I hummed about the kitchen, making breakfast for the three little girls currently under my charge. I was ecstatic to have children to care for again; although they were not my own, I still counted them as family. They were my adopted grandchildren that I never thought I'd have.

And I had children too! Three beautiful, healthy children of my very own.

I smiled, remembering Kristoff, the only one of my children that I'd met yet. He was going to be interesting, I could tell already. He had the attitude of a teenager, the confidence of an adult, and the creativity of a child. He and Edward had not hit it off at all, which I secretly thought was because they were too similar. Even Carlisle had had a difficult time speaking to the boy; Kristoff had been a constant riddle.

I, however, had seen the gentleman in him; there was not a single moment when he was anything less than polite and friendly to me. Despite his determination to seem otherwise, I thought he was sweet, and already loved him to death.

I couldn't wait to meet his sisters.

The thought put a smile on my face as I whirled around the kitchen, humming absentmindedly to myself. Why shouldn't I be happy? It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, and life was good.

A small scuffling noise near the door alerted me to another's presence. I stopped what I was doing and turned around just in time to see a shy little girl duck behind the door frame.

I grinned at her adorableness.

"Jasmine," I called. She peeked at me around the edge of the doorway, her huge, brown eyes blinking innocently. She was so cute! But also shy. I would have to be careful not to scare her away. "What are you doing way over there, hmmm?" I questioned, mostly to myself. She'd been here for a week and I hadn't heard her say a single word so far, so I wasn't really expecting a reply. To my surprise, though, she answered.

"Watching you."

"Well, if that's all..." I motioned for her to come closer to me and scooped her up to sit her on the countertop. "...then why don't you sit over here and we can keep each other company?"

A shy grin crept across her face. "'Kay."

I went back to peeling potatoes for the homemade hashbrowns. "So, how are you liking it here?" I asked. Out of the three of them, Jasmine was the hardest for me to figure out. I could never tell if she was happy or not.

"Good." She said quietly as she stared down at her feet.

I stopped what I was doing and put one hand on my hip. "Really?"

She looked up at me through her eyelashes without answering.

"You know, you can tell me the truth," I informed her as kindly as I could. "I don't bite."

She giggled. "It's..." she paused, seeming to search for the word. "...okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay."

"What makes it so mediocre?" I wondered.

She mulled it over for a second. "I miss the sun. And the hot. And the sand. Everything here is really...green."

"Green?" I asked, suppressing my laughter.

Instantly, she turned really shy. I smiled gently.

"You know, I think Edward told me that his girlfriend said the same thing when she first came here. She's from Arizona."

"Really?"

"Mm-hmmm. What else do you like or dislike here?"

"Well..." she seemed hesitant, and I nodded encouragingly.

"Maria's not here...and neither is Tony or Jose...and that's good...but Keeah's not here either... or Violet... or Des or Kat or Lissa or Jake...and that's bad..."

"Ah, you miss your siblings."

"Some of the newborns are nice too. Fransisco is teaching me how to play the harmonica."

I tried to hide my alarm. "Your sisters let you play with the newborns?"

"Yes. But only the nice ones. I guess...I guess I just miss the people," she added thoughtfully.

"I can understand that," I told her. "It's scary being in an unfamiliar setting." She nodded emphatically as I thought for a second. What could I do that would make her more comfortable here?

"What are some of the things you liked to do at home?" I asked. "Maybe if you can do them here, it will seem less...oh, what's the word..."

"Foreign?" Jasmine supplied. "Eccentric?"

"Well, I was going to say strange," I said laughing, while wondering how on earth she knew such big words - she was only two after all! "...but either of those work too."

"Well..." she began hesitantly. "...I like reading."

"Wonderful! What kinds of books do you like?"

"All kinds," she told me seriously.

"Okay," I continued undeterred, "what are your three favorite books?"

"Hmm..." I let her think, flipping the pancakes to let the other side cook and transferring the now-finished hashbrowns and scrambled eggs onto three separate plates.

"I like Pride and Prejudice...Anna Karenina...and Gone With the Wind is my favorite."

I stopped and stared at her. "How old are you again?"

"Two years, six months, and three days. Angel and I counted last night."

"And you read at a high school level?"

"Uh-huh. Can I have orange juice with my breakfast?"

Automatically, I moved to the fridge and grabbed a carton of orange juice. "Are Angel and Saphy reading at that level too?"

"Nope," she looked proud of herself. "Violet says that I've got an IQ of 150. She says that I'm very advanced for my age; that most two-year old demi-vamps have an IQ around 135."

"Wow," I commented. She smiled; obviously, this was something that she was comfortable with, something she was proud of. "Well, have you read any other books of Jane Austen's?"

"I read Emma."

"Well, I like that one too. I think you should read Mansfield Park. And maybe Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and have you read Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Caroll?"

She shook her head no.

"Well, then I'll go out and get those for you while you're off at the carnival and you can read them whenever you feel like it."

She smiled, but still looked wary. "I don't want to cause any trouble..."

"Nonsense," I told her cheerfully. "I had some errands to run anyway." Carefully, I flipped the pancakes onto the plates and carried them to the table. "I'll have Carlisle - grab those forks for me, would you sweetheart? - come with me to keep me company. It's his day off - second drawer on your right...there you go - off of work and it seems as if we so rarely get time to just talk; it will be good for both of us."

A real smile spread across her face. "'Kay."

I smiled back and went to call the other girls down for breakfast.

**Emmett POV:**

What was wrong with blue? It had a butterfly on it, that made it girly...right?

I shook my head in confusion. Oh well. Clothes were a mystery to me; I would be content in a t-shirt and jeans for the rest of my life.

"Are you too done yet?" I called through the door. I'd been kicked out of the room shortly after we'd entered it. Apparently, I was clueless when it came to clothing - not that I really cared. Again, I'd be content in a t-shirt and jeans.

"Saphy still needs to eat breakfast," I continued, "and the carnival opens at nine."

"Coming!" they sing-songed in synchronization.

The door opened to reveal Saphy in...jeans and a pink t-shirt. Well, I could have told her to wear _that_!

"No, you couldn't have," Edward called from his room. "They debated for ten minutes on which pair of jeans best went with that shirt."

I gave them a confused glance. "What does it matter? Jeans are jeans, right?"

Both of them rolled their eyes at the exact same time. It was almost scary how similar they looked.

"These are bootcut jeans," Saphy informed me as if that explained everything.

_And...?_

She huffed impatiently when I still didn't get it.

"The other ones were _skinny jeans._"

I just stared blankly. Quite honestly I didn't see the difference, and I was okay with that..

"Everyone knows that skinny jeans don't go with graphic tees when you're two and going to a carnival," a deep voice informed me from behind.

Instanly, I whirled around to protect my girls from the unknown potential threat.

A tall man - taller than me! - stood in front of us, there couldn't have been any fat on his body; he was like a wall of pure muscle.

"Kaleb!" Saphy squealed, darting around me to be scooped up and tossed into the air, giggling the entire way.

"Hey, Princesa. ¿Qué tal?"

Giggling, Saphy started babbling in Spanish to this random man - Kaleb - as Rose and I looked on in shock.

"Excuse me..." I interrupted. "But who the heck are you, and how do you know my daughter!?"

"Oh, how rude of me," Kaleb replied. "I didn't realize she was your daughter. My name is Kaleb. Kaleb McCarty."

He looked me straight in the eye and held out his hand.

"Nice to meet you, Dad."

**A/N: Hey guys! Sorry, I updated a little later than I meant to. Hopefully, to quote my sister, you don't hate me, you were just mad at me for several days for not posting. :) lol we're just kidding of course. She's like my best friend.**

**Anywho, moving on.**

**Go read my story 'The Consequences of Conversing with Your Dinner'. Please? Pretty please? It's only had four views this month. It's a one-shot about when Jasper first started to realize that Maria was evil when he meets someone special.**

**Also on my profile there's 'The Start of Something Good,' which is from the point of view of the various Cullen boys about early moments in their relationships with their respective mates. **

**Or you could read my other story 'Stupid Homework,' in which Alice hates Chemistry class.**

**On a similar note (I'm done shamelessly promoting my other stories, don't worry ;) haha) I was reading a story called 'Murder' by ukrainianelfhorse. It's a unique look at the Twilight world, which I find rare. Read it if you like fairies and elves!**

**Ummmmm...I think that's it :) **

**Review! Please!**

**Pretty please?**


	19. Sweet Dreams and a Proposal of Love

**Special shoutout to guest reviewer Alex Cullen who reviewed, like, 8 chapters. You rock! (The Cookie Monster is a character that used to be on Sesame Street, btw. They replaced him with the Veggie Monster, but the Cookie Monster is still way more awesome.)**

**Disclaimer: We all know that I'm not Stephanie Meyer and that I don't own anything recognizable. This shouldn't come as a shock to anyone. If it does, I'm a little bit worried for your health; you should eat a cookie and then go see a doctor. This also applies to chapter 18 as I forgot to put this (incredibly annoying, redundant, and unnecessary) disclaimer in there.**

**Thank you to all who reviewed!**

**Read on!**

**Alice POV:**

I sighed in relief as Violet and Kat decided to stop my training for the day.

They'd been working with me on seeing around the holes in my vision or - ideally - making the holes disappear. Apparently, I was doing a phenomenal job. Violet was very pleased with the progress I had made.

I'm sure I would have been happy about it too if I hadn't felt like my brain was about to explode from the mental workout it'd just been given.

Violet had sensed that I was getting tired and kindly offered to let me take a break - I was doing much better than she'd expected and she and Kat needed to eat dinner anyway - so now I was standing in the new bedroom that would belong to Jasper and I for the duration of our stay. After the incident earlier today - or, I guess it had been yesterday as it was now about three in the morning - I had been eager to get as far away from Maria as possible, and Violet had graciously offered one of the spare rooms in their mansion.

I flopped back onto the bed and closed my eyes, falling into my one of my favorite pastimes. Now that my visions were back and working (almost) properly again, I intended to spend every second until my husband's return anticipating his arrival.

Watching Jasper's future had always been soothing, had generally brought me happiness, for as long as I could remember. Knowing - absolutely, for _certain -_ that he was safe and making his way to me was comforting. It had been since the moment I'd woken up as a vampire.

Of course, sometimes it had also been lonely. I would look around me and see couples everywhere. I saw boys proposing to ecstatic girls. I saw mothers wipe away tears of joy as fathers walked their baby girl down the aisle. I saw couples cooing over their firstborn children. I saw mothers stealing a kiss from their husband in the midst of the joyful chaos of their family. I saw old men buy flowers for their wives, still loving them just as much as they had on the day they proposed.

I saw my future with Jasper.

I saw our first meeting. I saw our first kiss. I saw him making me laugh. I saw us being quiet, just sitting contentedly next to each other. I saw him teaching me how to fight. I saw me teaching him how to hunt animals. I saw our wedding day. I saw our wedding night. I saw our family. I saw how happy we would be together.

And then I would open my eyes.

And I would still be alone.

My family teases me about being impatient, but they have no idea. In my opinion, making somebody wait for something is the worst kind of torture there is. There's nothing worse than knowing _exactly_ how good your future's going to be, seeing _exactly _how happy you will be, having it be so close you feel like you can almost touch it...and yet always just out of your reach.

Abruptly, I felt a body slide in between me and the headboard as a familiar pair of arms wrapped around me.

"What's got you feeling so sad, then?" Jasper murmured, his soothing voice causing me to relax into him.

"You're home early!" I replied, delighted.

"Am I?" he questioned.

I nodded happily.

"That makes you so happy," he commented, sounding amazed at the depth of my happiness.

"Of course it does, silly. I missed you." Silly man, didn't he realize by now how much I loved him?

Jasper tended to work under the absurd assumption that he didn't deserve my love. He seemed to think that the sins of his past defined him; he couldn't see his quiet strength, his protective nature, his loyalty, or the many, many other reasons I loved him.

I felt more than saw him smile into my neck as he hummed disbelievingly, but let it go.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Which one?"

"Why were you so sad?"

I felt a sad smile flit across my face before answering him as simply as I could. "I was remembering the years before I found you." I felt him become more somber to match my mood. "I used to be very lonely."

"I'm sorry I made you wait." His voice rang with regret.

"You were worth it."

"Still...Twenty-eight years is a long time."

"Fifty-seven years is longer," I replied, smiling as memories of your time together overtook me. "I think that makes up for it."

"True."

We were silent for a second before Jasper chuckled.

"I got you something."

"You did?" I asked, completely surprised. When had that happened?

"Mm-hmm. I'm surprised you didn't see it coming."

"What is it?" I asked curiously, turning around to face him.

He laughed at my impatient expression.

"Laugh after you've given it to me," I insisted, bouncing slightly in anticipation.

Grinning at my impatience, he held up a cluster of pretty pink flowers. I gasped happily, not having seen this coming at all.

"Oh Jazz..."

"I saw them and thought it appropriate, considering the date."

Fifty-four years ago today, he had proposed to me with the same type of flower. We'd gone for a walk by the lake to get some alone time away from our family. I'd been skipping happily in front of him - thrilled that the weather was so nice - and when I'd turned around he'd been kneeling there holding a bouquet and my engagement ring. I had been so surprised; it was the first time I had ever felt that particular emotion and I knew Jazz had been happy at my reaction.

"You know, of course, that they symbolize a proposal of love..." Jasper continued as I hopped off of the bed to put the flowers in a nearby vase. "...but this particular flower has another meaning as well."

"What is that?" I asked as I came back out of the bathroom, where I had been filling the vase with water.

"Sweet dreams. I know that it frustrates you when your visions aren't working properly and I thought maybe they would help. You know, figuratively. Because your visions are kinda like a vampire's version of dreams and..." He was so cute when he was nervous. I didn't know how he thought that I wouldn't like them, they were so thoughtful!

I think I surprised both of us as I found myself cutting off his rambling with a kiss.

He froze for a second before I felt a wave of happiness and he began to kiss me back, his arms coming up to encircle my waist as his lips moved softly over mine in a way that was both familiar and utterly breathtaking at the same time.

Freezing for a second as memories of Jared ran through my head, I almost began to panic before I realized that the two were nothing like each other.

Jared was rough; Jasper was gentle.

Jared had hurt me; kissing Jasper was nothing but pleasure.

Jared had forced me to kiss him; Jasper had waited until I was ready.

I didn't love Jared; Jasper was my husband whom I adored more than anyone or anything else in the entire world.

I relaxed and let myself enjoy the kiss, sighing happily as I twisted my fingers through his hair. I felt so bad for the humans who had to come up for air. I could, quite literally, sit here kissing my husband for the rest of eternity and I would be happy.

Our kiss had gotten more heated the longer it went on and at this point I could barely remember my name, much less think straight. Jasper pulled away with a gasp, but left his forehead resting on mine. Slowly, I opened my eyes and blinked up at him.

"Wow," I breathed, causing him to laugh at me.

"I missed that," he mused, one of his hands stroking up my back to trail - feather light - against the back of my neck. It felt so good. Of course, it wasn't helping my issues with concentration.

"Me too," I replied.

We stayed like that for a long time, me laying on his chest, him smiling gently down at me. I found myself happier than I'd been since the hunting incident two weeks ago and I smiled, letting the emotion rule for the moment.

Jasper gasped. "Alice, you need to stop now."

"Stop what?" I asked curiously.

"Feeling that so strongly. I don't think I can resist you for much longer and I don't want to push you into something you're not ready for yet."

He was trying to protect me. How sweet. Slowly I moved up to look him in the eye, my lips hovering centimeters away from his. I smiled as his eyes darkened and I felt a wave of lust and love wash over me. I let my lips linger there for a few seconds before speaking:

"So don't resist."

In the blink of an eye, I felt the bed press into my back as Jasper flipped us over. "If you insist."

With that, his lips were on mine and I spent the rest of the night in bliss.

~ TheVioletContradiction ~

Hours later, we lay contentedly on the bed watching through the window as the sun came up and cast its golden rays across the room.

"I love you," I mused quietly.

"I love you too," he replied.

The happy swirl of emotions in the room made me smile. When Jasper was in an extreme emotional situation, he tended to let some of his emotions slip. It didn't happen often, but when it did I got to catch a glimpse of how my husband was truly feeling without anything edited out. I treasured each and every time it happened, but I especially loved it when he was feeling something possible.

This was the happiest I'd ever felt him.

We lay in peaceful silence for about fifteen more minutes before a flash of a vision caused me to panic. Instantly, I threw the covers over us both as I hid behind my husband.

"Wha-?" Jasper didn't even get to finish his sentence before the door banged open revealing the exact scene I'd just witnessed in my vision.

Maria.

Of course.

I sighed. There went my peaceful morning.

**A/N: I know! I'm sorry! I haven't updated in too long! I blame school starting. I'll try to do better.**

**So this is as explicit as it's going to get in this story. I debated about putting this scene in for forever, and I almost decided not to, but I felt that it was necessary to show that their relationship was back to a more normal state after the whole hunting incident and the Maria debacle. They are married, after all. If it offends anyone, let me know.**

**The flowers Jasper got for Alice were Drummond Phlox, by the way, just in case anyone was curious. I hope someday my future husband will get me flowers that mean something, it's just so cute!**

**Please, please, please review! I would love you for forever if you did! (Actually, I'd probably love you until I posted the next chapter, after which I would love those who reviewed that one...)**


	20. If I Had a Billion Dollars

**A/N: Herrow :) **

**I know, I know! I haven't updated in nearly two weeks! I'm sorry!**

**Let's just go with I have a life outside of fanfiction and I'll try to update as often as I can, but now that school has started it's probably going to be a lot less frequent than it was during the summer.**

**Shoutout to KittieKat121 who was my only reviewer on the last chapter. She's been my most loyal fan throughout this whole thing so far, and I just want to let her know that I appreciate it!**

**Read on...**

**Disclaimer: anything original = not mine. Capisce?**

**Jasper POV:**

I curled protectively over Alice and growled a warning at the male newborn who was ogling _my_ wife from his position behind Maria. This didn't faze Maria as she stood at the doorway with a slightly horrified expression on her face and annoyance, shock, and malice exuded from her.

_Great._

I decided to break the silence.

"What, Maria?" I snapped impatiently. For whatever reason, Alice found this entire situation extremely humorous; I could feel her shake with silent giggles as she watched Maria's face.

Maria's eyes snapped to my face as she stuttered. "Uh..."

I huffed impatiently at her. "Can I _help_ you?" It was probably said way too rudely, but frankly I was sick of Maria's interventions into my love life.

Alice quickly grew bored with the conversation and started tracing little patterns up and down my arms. I shivered with pleasure at her touch and immediately lost my train of thought. Why was I annoyed again?

"I need to speak with you, Major."

Oh yeah.

"Tough. I'm spending time with Alice right now."

She looked shocked that I had the audacity to talk back to her and I couldn't blame her; while I'd been with her, I'd been a bit of a pushover. She'd easily been able to convince me to anything with a single glance. But she had no power over me anymore; I had Alice now and I knew what true love felt like.

I was done taking orders from Maria.

"Need I remind you, Major, that you work for _me_, and I..."

"No. Not anymore," I interrupted impatiently. "The way I see it..." I got distracted again as Alice's fingers continued to dance up and down my arms. I caught her hands by the wrists and held them down over her head.

"Stop that," I told her as seriously as I could manage. Her eyes twinkled as she laughed silently back at me but, to my relief and chagrin, did as I asked.

"'Kay," she replied, surprising me by reaching up to give me a peck on the lips. I captured her lips with mine and let them linger for a second as I felt myself calming down.

"Excuse me? Standing right here?" Maria's emotions had settled on furious.

"And?"

"You can't...you can't just...kiss her _right in front of me_! What about us?" she sputtered angrily.

"What about us?" I replied calmly.

"We love each other, Jasper," she was trying for a smooth purr in her voice, but she was too annoyed to pull it off properly, "or at least... I though we did." She pulled her face into a pout that was probably supposed to elicit sympathy and admiration. Maria was a skilled actress, but I saw right through her easily.

"You never loved me, Maria. Never."

"But you love me."

I blinked, shocked into silence by her obliviousness.

"Maria," I began slowly, "let me say this slowly so that even you can understand..." I paused to make sure she was listening.

"I. Love. Alice. End of story."

As I said this, Alice's emotions skyrocketed so that all I could feel from her was an intense wave of love and happiness, so powerful that it made my head spin.

She looked at me curiously for a second as my arms tightened around her before smiling and pressing a kiss to the center of my bare chest.

"Go away, Maria," I told her right before kissing my wife again. Silently, she turned and stalked out of the room.

Alice started giggling.

"What?" I asked.

"You," she replied happily before leaning up to kiss me again. I smiled and began to kiss her back.

BANG BANG BANG!

I groaned as someone pounded on the door to our room.

"Up and at 'em, you two. It's nearly noon." I groaned again at Des' amused tone. "Violet was nice and let you make up, but she says she's sick of your guys' future."

"Just a second, we'll be right down," Alice called cheerfully, laughing as I growled obscenities under my breath. She winked at me as she jumped off of the bed and ran to get dressed. Still grumbling, I followed her.

~ TheVioletContradiction ~

Alice had a skip in her step as we walked down the stairs together, my fingers wound through hers to link us together. I smiled, knowing that I had brought her the undeniable joy that I could feel radiating from her. Together, we walked into the dining room.

"Mornin'."

"Hey."

Keeah didn't bother with a greeting as Kat and Des had, instead grunting something unintelligible from where she sat at the table. She didn't even lift her head from where it was lain on her arms.

The table and the six folding chairs surrounding it were the only pieces of furniture in the room, and they were literally covered with papers, as was most of the floor. Random spaces around the room had been haphazardly cleared to fit laptops, ipads, multiple bins of different colors, and various snacks. Directly behind us was the kitchen, in which someone (I assumed to be Violet) was moving around as something cooked in the microwave.

Within seconds of our arrival, the microwave dinged and Violet walked into the dining room carrying some random goo in four bowls.

"Kraft's Mac 'n' Cheese. The finest meal within a fifty mile radius," she announced cheerfully, setting a bowl down at Keeah's head and tossing one each to Des and Kat before settling down at the table herself.

"Yum," Des deadpanned. "My favorite."

She laughed at him. "I know, right? Taste the cheesy goodness!"

He rolled his eyes, but dug in as Violet waved us to sit in the chairs around the table.

"Wake up, Kay. I need info. What'dya find out?"

Keeah gave her a brief synopsis of our recon mission before launching into details of Hernandez's recent business transactions. Apparently, he was strategizing an awful lot. She talked for about two and a half hours. I'll be nice and spare you the details. Suffice to say that Hernandez had gained a lot of land over the past few years.

Violet nodded thoughtfully. "Do we have records of all of this?"

"Some, but not all," Kat replied, somehow able to keep track of all of the papers littering the floor where she sat. "This is basically what we'd assumed, just on a much larger scale."

"Kat's our record keeper," Keeah informed Alice and I. "Anything and everything we know is written down, organized, and hidden by her."

"Isn't that risky? Couldn't anyone just come in and look at it like we did with Hernandez last night?" I asked.

"Not necessarily. We have the best security on the planet, and only Kat and Keeah have access to the files. People aren't going to be getting through."

I nodded, still not convinced.

"Des, what's up with the newbies?"

"I went through the barracks. They have about fifty newborns, mostly ignorant of any and all plans Hernandez may or may not have. All are fairly well-trained, but only about a third have any skill with fighting."

Violet nodded thoughtfully.

"Any skills?"

"A three-month old male that controls weather, a two-year old female with a cloaking talent, and a six-year old demi with a limited mental shield."

"How are they set up?"

"They work in four groups of ten, with one dorm leader for each group. The groups are set up to give them a base that they can trust, but there's a _lot _of fear and corruption going on. For the most part, they have the 'every-man-for-himself' view."

There was a moment of silence as Violet absorbed all of the information.

"What does all that mean for us?" Alice asked.

"Well, if it came to a battle we could win it, but I'd prefer that it didn't come to that."

"How many soldiers do we have?"

"162 total. 98 or so are ready for battle," Violet mused. "But if it came down to it, I'd want around thirty back here holding down the fort and making sure the other 64 stay out of trouble. That would leave us with sixty eight. Take away seven for a defensive line and six for recon and that leaves us with 55. And Kat, Des, Keeah, and I as commanders."

"I don't like those numbers," Des commented.

"Me neither," Violet replied.

"Wait, wait, wait." I was struggling to wrap my mind around the fact that we had 162 men. In my day, we'd had 23 and it was considered a lot. "162 men?!" I asked disbelievingly.

Violet grinned. "Things have expanded a bit since you were in charge."

"I'll say."

"Back to the main point. We could win, easy. But could we win in two weeks? And could we win with minimal loss of life? Those are the two important questions."

"Are there any other options?" Alice questioned.

"Keeah...?" Violet asked thoughtfully.

"'Sup?"

"You said that Hernandez has been making deals and going to battle for land?"

"That's right. Nine new territories in the past six months."

"There may be another option, then. What if we offered him a deal?"

"Explain."

"Maria wants to keep her power. Hernandez wants more land. We want to get Maria off of our back long-term. What if we offered Hernandez a partnership with Maria?"

There was a silence in the room.

Des finally spoke. "Say _what_?"

"Think about it, Des. We convince Maria to form a partnership with Hernandez. He gets control of her estate, she gets more newborns for her army. He gets land, she gets power. And then she doesn't bother us because she has a new master strategist. It's a win-win situation."

"Can we convince both of them to go for it?"

"Sure. Maria needs to think that she's getting the better end of the deal. Hernandez owes me his life, we can use that. It all comes down to bargaining. Kat, we've got the resources, right?"

"Let me check." Kat flipped through the pile of papers directly in front of her. "Well we've got land and newborns. The only problem is that we're pretty much broke. Maria went on another spending spree."

"And I don't have time for a trip to Vegas," Violet groaned.

There was a moment of complete silence before Alice spoke up.

"We have money. It's at home or in a bank, but we have it."

Violet glanced at the other three.

"Why am I always stuck asking the awkward questions?" she wondered.

"Because you're the most impatient one of us," Des replied smiling.

Violet stuck her tongue out at him before turning to us.

"How much money are we talking?" she asked us.

I shrugged. "I don't know. A couple million? Maybe a billion?"

"At least a billion," Alice supplied.

All four stared for a minute before Des whistled in admiration.

"Dang. If I had a billion bucks..."

"We could start our own recording studio," Kat commented as she and Keeah exchanged a wistful look.

"Or actually get that fashion line produced," Keeah added.

"Or open up my own photography business," Des continued.

"Get my belly button pierced!"

"Buy the biggest library in the world!"

"Own our own mansion!"

"Buy a big-screen TV!"

"Donate to make a difference in the lives of the poor."

"Sponser some kids."

"And..." Violet finally spoke up in a very dramatic tone of voice. "...we wouldn't have to eat Kraft dinners!"

"But we _would_ eat Kraft dinners," Des protested jokingly.

"Well, of course we would, we'd just eat more!"

Kat laughed at them. "Right, and then we'd buy really expensive ketchup to go with it."

Keeah grinned and tossed a pencil at Violet's head. "All right, that's enough. Let's get back to work."

We planned for the next thirty-two hours, going over every detail again and again until every tiny nuance of our plan was nailed down. By twilight the next day, we were ready. Violet picked up the phone and we all waited with bated breath as it rang.

_Ring...ring...ring..._

_"Hello?"_

"Hello, Hernandez? It's Violet. I'd like a word."

**A/N: Please review. **

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